Arsenal’s staggering payments to agents this season compared to Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace and West Ham

Agents have become increasingly more involved in football transfers over recent years and it has turned into an extremely lucrative job for those at the top level. As the price tag of players goes up, so does the amount of money going to their representatives as they sign for new clubs.

The gap between the top clubs in the Premier League and those near the bottom has never been bigger, hence why it is so tough for teams to come up from the Championship and compete. Here is a look at how much each team has spent on agent fees this season, from bottom to top....

20. Nottingham Forest, £4,353,186

19. AFC Bournemouth, £5,058,871

18. Brentford, £5,560,192

17. Wolves, £6,186,765

16. Southampton, £6,319,675

15. Brighton and Hove Albion, £8,583,317

14. Fulham, £8,758,854

13. Crystal Palace, £9,796,296

12. Leicester City, £10,282,967

11. Newcastle United, £10,784,029

10. West Ham United, £12,030,438

9. Everton, £13,542,845

8. Leeds United, £15,310,814

7. Aston Villa, £15,623,203

6. Tottenham Hotspur, £16,137,103

5. Arsenal, £16,749,072

4. Manchester United, £24,726,374

3. Liverpool, £33,691,782

2. Chelsea, £43,160,072

1. Manchester City, £51,563,571

Chelsea spent the most out of all the London clubs, followed by Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham, Crystal Palace, Fulham and Brentford. Manchester City forked out the most out of the whole of the division as they chase down the Gunners at the top of the table right now.

Newly-promoted Nottingham Forest paid the least despite bringing in 30 players since sealing their return from the second tier last year.