Ajax spent by far the most money on agents and intermediaries in the 2019/20 season, according to an overview by the KNVB. The current leader of the Eredivisie paid approximately 33.8 million euros to agents; PSV follows at a huge distance with a cost of 4.5 million euros. The top five is completed by AZ (2.5 million euros), Feyenoord (2.2 million euros) and FC Utrecht (1.2 million euros).
In the previous season, 2018/19, Ajax already spent the most money with 8.1 million euros on agents and intermediaries, but that expenditure has quadrupled. This has to do with transfers from players such as Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong and Kasper Dolberg, incoming transfers from Quincy Promes, Lisandro Martínez, Edson Álvarez and Razvan Marin and contract extensions such as those of Dusan Tadic, for no less than seven years in 2019. With a total of 33.8 million euros in expenditure, Ajax spent more last season than all other Eredivisie clubs put together. In total, the Dutch clubs have spent just over 50 million and Ajax is responsible for more than 67 percent of that entire amount. In 2016, Dutch clubs spent a total of less than ten million on agents.
The expenses of Ajax are lower than the most recently published figures of major clubs from other European competitions. Borussia Dortmund took the crown in the 2018/19 season with 44.5 million euros in spending, with Juventus short behind: 44.3 million euros. Manchester United and Bayern Munich came to 30.6 million euros and 30.5 million euros respectively. However, figures for the 2019/20 season are not yet known for those clubs. It is possible that spending in other major countries has also increased significantly in the past season.
That Ajax transfers so much money to agents is according to an earlier analysis of Football International not very surprising. In Amsterdam the transfer fees are the highest and a significant part of the budget is spent on player salaries, as a result of which the fees for business advisers have also increased. Since 2016, Ajax has paid a total of 72.6 million euros for the work of agents in various transfers and contract extensions.
Spending Eredivisie clubs on agents
| Position | Club | 2019/20 (euro) | 2018/19 (euro) | Difference (euro) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ajax | 33,834,503 | 8,124,829 | 25,709,674 |
| 2. | PSV | 4,469,112 | 3,923,520 | 545,592 |
| 3. | AZ | 2,476,350 | 2,614,000 | -137,650 |
| 4. | Feyenoord | 2,247,330 | 3,216,341 | -969,011 |
| 5. | FC Utrecht | 1,203,216 | 914,613 | 288,603 |
| 6. | PEC Zwolle | 1,141,069 | 420,381 | 720,688 |
| 7. | Vitesse | 1,093,713 | 840,521 | 248,503 |
| 8. | Heracles Almelo | 809,449 | 248,148 | 561,301 |
| 9. | SC Heerenveen | 661,000 | 423,000 | 238,000 |
| 10. | Ado den Haag | 425,529 | 720,596 | -295,067 |
| 11. | FC Twente | 311,651 | 444,000 | -132,349 |
| 12. | Sparta Rotterdam | 277,823 | 132,249 | 145,574 |
| 13. | FC Emmen | 237,356 | 91,271 | 146,085 |
| 14. | Fc Groningen | 235,200 | 306,615 | -71,415 |
| 15. | Willem II | 226,400 | 220,703 | 5,697 |
| 16. | VVV Venlo | 223,143 | 310,000 | -86,857 |
| 17. | RKC Waalwijk | 210,716 | 35,749 | 174,967 |
| 18. | Fortuna Sittard | 74,505 | 76,201 | -1,696 |