During the summer of 2018 and January 2019 transfer windows, AFC Bournemouth paid £10.3million to football agents for services towards purchasing new players and improved contracts for existing players.
New signings during the summer transfer windows were David Brooks, Diego Rico, Jefferson Lerma, three transfers that reported cost AFC Bournemouth in the region of £46.5million.
Dominic Solanke and Chris Mepham then joined the squad in January 2019 for a further £31million.
AFC Bournemouth’s payments of £10.3million are up an addition £2.5million on the previous period, but that increase doesn’t look too bad in comparison to the rest of the Premier League.
The top flight of English football spent a total of £261million on agent fees an increase of £50million from the year before.
10 clubs spent more on agent fees than AFC Bournemouth, including Tottenham Hotspur who didn’t sign a single player during either transfer window.
Wolverhampton Wanderers, Crystal Palace, Southampton, Brighton & Hove Albion and Fulham all spent around £4million less than the Cherries, whilst Burnley, Cardiff City and Huddersfield spent considerably less according to this BBC table.
AFC Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe told Sky Sports…
“I think football agents, whatever their terminology, are a big part of the game and I don’t see that changing in the short term, So, although you could say (money is) going out of the game, I think it’s a necessity if a football club wants to sign players.
“You show me a Premier League club that wants to sign players or has to sign players that doesn’t pay agents. That doesn’t happen. If you want to sign players you have to pay agents.”
“There are some brilliant people involved in football and the football agency world, some great people that do a really good job for their players and make their players’ lives better off the pitch,”
“They guide them financially, they help them mentally and, in turn, help the players play better on the pitch so they get a lot of bad press but not often the good is talked about.”
Your say…
tednphil wrote…
For what we spent on actual reported transfer fees, we seem to have paid rather a lot to agents. Compare ours to Burnley, Brighton and even big-spending Fulham. – Join the conversation, click here.
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