BOSS Eddie Howe defended Cherries’ hefty spend on agents’ fees and insisted: “They play a huge role in the modern game.”

Figures released by the Football Association showed the Dorset club had shelled out £7.73million on payments for intermediaries and agents in 12 months, the 10th-highest amount in the Premier League.

The period concerned – which ran from February 1, 2017 to January 31, 2018 – took in last year's summer transfer window and the recent January window.

Howe's squad was strengthened significantly in the summer with the arrivals of Nathan Ake, Asmir Begovic, Jermain Defoe and Connor Mahoney.

Asked about the club’s investment in agents, he told the Daily Echo: “We could say we are not going to deal with or pay agents. Let me guarantee you, if we did take that stance, we would end up with no players coming through the door.

“It is such a competitive market. Agents sometimes get a lot of bad press but they play a huge role in the modern game and the really good agents are so beneficial for players.

“They do a lot of work to help them produce better performances and be more professional. They can sometimes be the first person a player rings either before or after a game.

“There are some very good agents out there who I speak to on a regular basis that really do have the best interests of the player at heart and you have to pay them if you want the players.”

Liverpool, who Cherries visit on Saturday (5.30pm), spent £26.7million on fees for intermediaries and agents, more than Cherries paid for club-record signing Nathan Ake.

They were closely followed by Chelsea and this season's league leaders Manchester City.

Total spend in the top flight amounted to £211m, up from £174m for the corresponding 2016-17 time frame.

Howe believes it is essential to build a strong relationship with top agents if the Dorset club are to keep progressing.

He added: “I think I have a good relationship with 99 per cent of the agents and I think that is really important.

“I have known players who have had the same agent by their side right from the start of their career to the end.

“Okay, the agent gets well paid but the sacrifices they make are sometimes really big and a lot of people would not see that.

“They could travel with a player half way around the world after a long injury and sometimes be at their beck and call to help with meals and transporting them. There is a lot on the positive side.

“Of course, there are some agents out there who are mainly motivated by money and I am not going to deny that happens as well but you have to give a balanced view on these things because it’s not just one way.”

The lowest spenders in the top flight were Huddersfield, who paid £2.46m for agents’ fees.