Almost 90% of Tottenham's player transactions this season have involved the same agent representing both the player and the club.
There were 565 player transactions involving Premier League clubs in 2018/19 - transfers, loans or new contracts - according to data released by the Football Association.
A total of 462 involved “double representation” where the same agent or agency has represented both the player and the club. Another two deals actually saw “triple representation” where the same agent represents the player, the selling club and the purchasing club.
That works out as 82% of all Premier League transactions reported by the FA for this season. It’s an increase from the 77% of transactions last season and 79% the season before.
The Spurs players at risk of missing potential Champions League semi-final through suspension
Spurs have not made any new signings during the course of this season, having two consecutive transfer windows without bringing anyone to the club, but they have dealt in outgoing loans and new contract talks with players, with 89% of those deals being overseen by the same agent or agency as that of the player - the seventh highest in the Premier League.
The use of double representation varies between Premier League clubs. All but one of the transactions involving Brighton in 2018/19 used double representation - 98% of deals.
Some 95% of Burnley’s transactions involved doubled representation, as did 93% of both Arsenal’s and Manchester City’s. Only 45% of Watford's deals involved double representation.
Brighton and Burnley are the two clubs where a triple representation deal took place. Brighton signed Daniel Burn from Wigan before loaning him back. The deal saw agent Daniel Drury represent all three parties.
Burnley’s signing of Matej Vydra from Derby saw the agent Ondrej Chovanec of E & A Sport Marketing Consulting represent all three parties. Dean Baker of WMG Management Europe Ltd also represented Derby.
The process of “double representation” isn’t illegal or against any regulations.
The bold claim made by Pep Guardiola ahead of Tottenham's Champions League tie with Man City
However, arrangements between clubs, players and agents are under constant scrutiny by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.
An HMRC spokesperson said:“HMRC reviews information received from the FA to ensure all payments made to agents during the negotiation of a contract or club transfer are taxed correctly.
“We actively challenge any payments we consider not to be realistic and ask for evidence to prove legitimacy of any arrangement.
“HMRC is successfully tackling tax risks in the football industry, including Image Rights and Agent Fees and has brought in £355 million in additional revenue from its compliance activities since 2015.
“We carefully scrutinise the individual arrangements between football clubs, players and agents to make sure the correct tax is being paid in the UK. HMRC currently has enquiries into 173 players, 40 clubs and 38 agents.”
Percentage of dual representation
Brighton & Hove Albion // 98%
Burnley // 95%
Manchester City // 93%
Arsenal // 93%
Wolverhampton Wanderers // 91%
Liverpool // 89%
Tottenham Hotspur // 89%
AFC Bournemouth // 88%
Cardiff City // 87%
Everton // 86%
Fulham // 86%
Manchester United // 79%
Leicester City // 78%
Newcastle United // 78%
Southampton // 78%
Chelsea // 76%
Huddersfield Town // 71%
Crystal Palace // 70%
West Ham United // 50%
Watford // 45%
For all your latest Tottenham Hotspur news, opinion, analysis and transfer gossip, click here
Keep up to date with the latest Tottenham Hotspur news, features and exclusives from football.london via our free WhatsApp service .
Text NEWS to 07776197989 and then add the number to your phone contacts book as spurs dot london (case sensitive, with spaces) to receive daily updates and breaking news from Alasdair Gold and the team on Spurs.
Your phone number won't be shared with any other members of the group. Click here for more information on the service.
