The Bundesliga and 2. Liga clubs have spent more than one billion euros on consultant commissions since 2017/18. This is according to the annually published key figures of the German Football League (DFL).
The DFL has recorded exactly €1130.749 million in spending on players’ agents for the period of the 2017/18 to 2021/22 seasons. The latest figures, i.e. for the 2022/23 season and the 2023 summer transfer window that has just ended, will only be published later. The Bundesliga representatives account for the lion’s share of the expenditure with 998.6 million euros. In the lower house, a combined €132.139 million was paid to agents. It is only since 2017/18 that the DFL has published the consultant commissions broken down by individual clubs.
Borussia Dortmund shows the highest sum. BVB spent a whopping €183.21 million on players’ agents between 2017 and 2022. The reigning runners-up are followed by the current title holders, FC Bayern, with €146.48 million. Also above the €100 million mark is RB Leipzig (€109.54 million). Behind the Saxons come Bayer Leverkusen (94.05 million), TSG Hoffenheim (61.37 million), FC Schalke 04 (61.21 million) and Eintracht Frankfurt (57.11 million).
BVB with highest transfer turnover
The relationship between commissions and transfer volumes in the period is also exciting. It is true that BVB – see above – paid the most for consultants. But the Westphalians also had the highest transfer turnover with an estimated €1032.85 million. Thus, BVB’s consultancy fees account for 17.74 per cent of the total, whereas they account for 23.68 per cent at the FCB, for example. The Munich team had purchases and sales amounting to an estimated 618.48 million euros.
However, it would be wrong to conclude that agents in Dortmund collect just under 18 per cent or in Munich just under 24 per cent of the transfer fee. This is because the DFL does not show the commissions separately according to fees for contract extensions, for transfers with transfer fees and transfers without transfer fees. This means that commissions for contract extensions and transfers without transfer fees increase the sums in relation to the transfer volumes. The “true percentage” is therefore lower.
