Football transfers are an integral part of the global football business. As per FIFA’s Global International Transfer Snapshot Mid-year 2024, clubs all across the globe completed a total of 11,000 international transfers, that’s almost 5% increase over 2023 and total spending on transfer fees reached a total of $6.45bn during the mid-year transfer window for a total of 2,169 transfers with fees
One of the most important spokes in the transfer wheel are agents, who facilitate the transfers either on behalf of clubs, either engaging or releasing, or on behalf of players. The whole process is designed to make a transfer legitimate, smooth and add value for all stakeholders
In this post we will explore the transfer business from the agent perspective
Agents Acting for Club or Player
According to the FIFA Annual Report on Football Agents for 2023, in men’s football, club agents were involved in a total of 2,051 international transfers which is a new record and represents an increase of 13.0% compared to 2022. In case of women’s football, club agents were present in a record number of 125 transfers which is a 20% increase over 2022 figures.
In terms of geographical allocation, almost 86% of club agents were employed by UEFA or European football and remaining 14% spread across all other continents
In value terms, a staggering $888.1mn were spent on club agent service fees for men’s football in 2023, which was 42.5% more than 2022. For women’s football the sum was a more modest $1.4mn, a 61% increase over the sum spent in 2022
In both the cases, the far greater number of agents were employed by the engaging club than the releasing club
- In men’s football, 75% of the agents were employed by engaging clubs
- In women’s football, it is 96%
Similarly, in case of agents acting on behalf of players, 2023 saw a continued rise in the transfer ecosystem. According to the FIFA Agents Report 2023, over the last four years, the number of transfers in men’s football facilitated by player agents have increased by a whopping 34% and the same in women’s football by 50%
In 2023, men’s football saw 3,353 transfers with an agent acting on behalf of player, which is 15.4% of all transfers and similarly, it was 375 transfers for women’s football representing 20.1% of all international transfers
Another interesting insight about player agents is they tend to appear more frequently in transfers with higher player salaries, in particular for younger players. In 2023, the FIFA Agents Report statistically points out the dominating presence, >50% of transfers, of player agents in cases where the player’s total fixed remuneration starts from $1mn
Agents Fees: The English FA
Data from the English FA suggest a whopping amount of £1bn was paid by Premier league clubs to agents as fees in the last 3 years. In contrast, the lower tiered leagues in English football had a much lower fees paid
- EFL Championship paid £142mn as agent fees in 3 years
- League One and League Two paid £15.3mn and £5.3mn respectively in three year cumulatively
Further, in 2023/24, the total amount paid by Premier League clubs was £410mn, 29% increase over 2022/23 figure
Conclusion
As global football continues to evolve with the growing changes, the role of football agents remains crucial in facilitating player transfers. If you are interested in pursuing the career as an agent, then at SBI, we have a specialized program on the Agent preparation course
Starting 21 October 2024, our 5-week online course will prepare you with the knowledge and practice that you need – guided by Malle Koido, a licensed FIFA agent in the UK who’s successfully coached many professionals to pass the exam
You can have a look at the details here
