‘Chelsea U-turn now impossible after £60m development’
Chelsea have spent massive money on transfer fees in recent years with around £1.5billion splashed out since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took over.
That huge spend has translated to agent fees, with the Blues paying £60.4million to agents and intermediaries between February 2024 and February 2025.
The London club spent the most, while Man City dropped £52million and Man United followed with an outlay of £33million.
£75.1million was spent by Chelsea on agent fees in the same period between 2023 and 2024 – but the Blues are yet to see a return on their big-money investment.
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – insisted it is now “impossible” for Chelsea to pull a U-turn on paying big fees as agents know they have mega money to spend under Boehly and Clearlake.
‘There’s nowhere to go for Chelsea’, says Wyness
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted he “really doesn’t like” the growth in agent fees as the money “goes right out of the game”.
Chelsea also led the way in spending on agents in the women’s game, with Sonia Bompastor’s side responsible for almost 30% (£622,604) of the total figure in the Women’s Super League.
Wyness insisted Chelsea are spending big money on agents because they are shopping in the most expensive market – “high-priced, young players”.
| Club | Spend |
| Chelsea | £60.4million |
| Man City | £52.1million |
| Man United | £33million |
| Aston Villa | £25.1million |
| Newcastle | £24.3million |
| Arsenal | £22.8million |
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “£60million – you could buy a decent player for that.
“This money goes right out of the game – I really don’t like it.
“I wrote a paper many moons ago about how agents should get a tax break on the money they make – but only if they reinvested it into the game.
“There’s got to be moves made so it becomes circular.
“In terms of Chelsea, it’s a big number – and that’s due to the markets they’ve been shopping in.
“These are high-priced, young players – the most expensive market. The agents know it, and they drive the hardest bargain.
“The agents also know Chelsea have got the money. There’s nowhere to go. It’s impossible for them to signal otherwise.
“£60million is just excessive. It’s the cost of doing business for them, but they’ve really got to look at it.”
Chelsea defy fans as Maresca sack news emerges
Meanwhile, Football Insider revealed that (21 April) Enzo Maresca has the backing of the Chelsea board despite unrest in the fanbase.
Boehly and Clearlake chiefs have recognised they cannot keep chopping and changing in the dugout after sacking Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel in recent years.
Maresca left Leicester to join Chelsea last summer (2024) and signed a contract running until June 2029.
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