Aston Villa spend more on agents than West Brom and Wolves, figures reveal
Aston Villa splashed out more on agent’s fees than any other club in the Championship during the past year, according to official figures released by the FA.
Owner Tony Xia spent a whopping £5.5million on intermediaries in the 12-month period between February 1, 2017, and January 31, 2018 in an attempt to return Villa to the Premier League.
That eclipsed everyone in the second tier, including leaders Wolves, who spent £2m on agents during the same period.
It is understood Villa's total figure consisted of more than 50 transactions, the majority of which were staggered payments to agents during the course of a player's contract.
Figures seen by the Express & Star have meanwhile revealed the club paid a total of less than £700,000 to agents for deals concluded during the last two transfer windows, including the high-profile free agent signing of former England skipper John Terry.
Instead, it is historic agreements which have had the biggest drain on resources.
The biggest single fee paid out by Villa, of £1.5million, went to the agent of Adama Traore, w ho moved to Middlesbrough in 2016.
Villa's payout to agents for the period was also more than Albion, who spent £4.75m on intermediaries during those 12 months.
Only Brighton, Burnley, and Huddersfield spent less money on agents than the Baggies in the Premier League.
Apart from Sunderland's £4.3m spend, Villa’s outlay on agents was more than double what any other Championship club paid.
Walsall and Shrewsbury each spent £43,000 on agents, putting them among the lowest spenders in League One.
