CHERRIES spent more than £5.6million on intermediary and agents’ fees from February 1, 2020, to February 1, 2021, new data released by the Football Association shows.

The Dorset club’s spend on agents’ fees was the second highest in the Championship behind league leaders Norwich, who paid more than £6.8m.

An overall spend on agents’ fees for the Dorset club was £5,653,160 – a total of £3,859,417 less than what the club paid 12 months previously between February 1, 2019, and January 31, 2020.

During the latest set of figures released by the FA, Cherries added the likes of Ben Pearson and Jack Wilshere to their squad on permanent deals.

There were also the loan acquisitions of Rodrigo Riquelme, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Shane Long.

Spending on agents’ fees was down by more than £9million in the Championship, compared to the previous 12 months.

Second-tier clubs splashed out £40,753,529 in total between February 2020 and February 2021.

Wycombe were the lowest spenders on agents in the division, paying out just £126,053 in total.

In comparison, Premier League clubs spent £272,220,223 on such fees between February 1, 2020 and February 1, 2021 – despite clubs suffering major losses due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Chelsea were the highest spenders on agents’ fees in English football during the latest period, shelling out £35,247,822.