Intermediation is growing rapidly

Football agents earned nearly $900 million in commissions in 2023. That figure represents more than a 40% increase from the year before, and it confirms a long-term trend: intermediation is a crucial part of the football ecosystem.

In fact, it is more embedded in the football transfer market than ever before, and that’s why TransferRoom is now revolutionising intermediation as it has done so for the football agency world, after launching a platform for Trusted Agents in 2021.

This article explores:

• Why intermediation continues to grow

• The challenges and inefficiencies that come with it

• The strategic value intermediaries still offer

• How TransferRoom’s Agent Network is helping build a more transparent, collaborative model for clubs and agents

Agent involvement in transfers has steadily increased over the past decade.

In 2015, global commission payments to agents were under $300 million. By 2019, that figure had more than doubled to $653.9m, according to FIFA. After a temporary decline during the pandemic, spending accelerated again and reached an all-time high of $888m in 2023.

Agent activity is not only increasing in value but also in frequency. Roughly one in five international transfers now involve an intermediary, with that figure higher in some of Europe’s top leagues. In Italy, for example, nearly half of incoming transfers reportedly involve agents.

This is not a short-term trend. It’s an indicator of the true transfer market dynamics which underpin how modern football operates.

The challenges of intermediation

Despite its growth, intermediation presents a number of persistent issues that clubs, agents, and governing bodies continue to face.

Lack of transparency

Clubs often receive offers from multiple intermediaries claiming to represent the same player. It is not always clear who holds the mandate, or whether the player is even available. But since TransferRoom opened up for Trusted Agents in 2021, it’s helped to solve this problem by verifying agencies as the representative of a player

Multiple representation and conflicts of interest

It is increasingly common for agents to represent multiple parties in the same transaction, often both the player and the buying club. This raises serious questions around conflicts of interest, fairness and inflated fees.

Rising regulatory pressure

New regulations from FIFA and national associations aim to rein in intermediary influence. Passing the FIFA Football Agent Exam is essential, and commission caps and restrictions on dual representation are reshaping the environment. Compliance is now a critical concern for agents and clubs alike.

Expert webinar and Q&A: How to pass the FIFA Agent Exam

We are yet to really experience the impact of these regulations but it’s evident that intermediation is a necessity for many clubs and agents.

Why intermediation matters

Despite these concerns, intermediaries remain a vital part of the football ecosystem. There are three primary reasons for this:

Market access

Agents have expansive networks across leagues and countries. They are often the fastest route to uncovering off-market opportunities or unlisted player availability. In certain regions they like Italy or Turkey, they are essential to doing local business - sometimes even legally required to ensure business is conducted in line with cultural requirements.

Deal-making expertise

Transfers involve more than just negotiation. They include contractual clauses, compliance and timing considerations. Skilled intermediaries help navigate these complexities, often moving deals forward when club-to-club discussions stall.

Strategic value

The best agents operate not just as deal-makers, but as advisors. They bring clubs intelligence on emerging opportunities, market conditions and long-term squad planning. For players, they are career managers as much as negotiators.
Put simply: while the system is imperfect, the value proposition remains strong.

A new approach: The Agent Network by TransferRoom

TransferRoom’s new Agent Network is a dedicated place for Trusted Agents and a trusted community of intermediaries, designed to solve the core inefficiencies in the intermediary process while preserving its strengths.

The Agent Network allows agents to:

• View verified, up-to-date club requirements on TransferRoom
• Share agent-led requirements with other agents for collaborative fulfilment
• Pitch relevant players based on recommended matches, putting data at the heart of intermediation

This model increases alignment between clubs, agents and intermediaries, reduces irrelevant pitches, and opens new commercial opportunities for agents.

Benefits for Clubs

• Gain exposure to a wider pool of players, through a trusted network
• Reduce time spent filtering out ill-fitting pitches
• Increase transparency into true representation of players
• Operate within a structured, auditable platform that supports regulatory compliance and shields club identity from non-relevant parties

Benefits for Agents

• Access to the market’s leading agent to agent network
• Expand deal opportunities by collaborating with other Trusted Agents
• Enhance public profile by engaging through a trusted platform with track record
• Build long-term trust with clubs through accuracy and relevance

Building a more transparent transfer market

Intermediation is not going away. The real challenge is evolving the model to meet the demands of a more complex, data-driven and regulated environment.

The Agent Network is a practical, technology-enabled step in that direction. It combines the speed and scale of intermediation with the structure and accountability required by clubs and regulators to feel in control of the process.

It creates space for agents to do what they do best: build relationships, identify talent, and make deals. That's all while giving clubs the transparency, alignment and efficiency they increasingly expect.

Learn More

If you're an agent looking to increase your influence and output—or a club seeking more effective ways to identify and engage talent—the Agent Network can help.

Agents, get access to the decision-makers at clubs in over 130 leagues and create the best deal opportunities as a TransferRoom Trusted Agent. Find out more here.