Football League glad to trim agents' fees

The Football League, composed of the Championship, League One and League Two, have shown the way in their battle to cut agents' fees.

While these clubs are still scrutinising the market to sign more players, the report issued by the ruling body that concerned season 2005-06 has indeed boosted the game in the lower grades of English football.

Chairman Lord Mawhinney applauded the clubs for their reduction in payments to agents. From July 1, 2005 till June 30, 2006 clubs were engaged in 3,284 player deals. Agents' fees were handed out in 356 transactions that yielded a total of £7.66m, £6.31m of which (82%) involved Championship clubs.

League One and League Two paid £955,000 and £184,000. The players' representatives total of £7.66m is down by £166,000 on the previous year.

The top two clubs mostly indulged in transfer fees were Leeds and Southampton.

In an effort to bring transparency to the game, clubs have been ordered by the FL to produce a list every six months of payments to agents. This publication has certainly been the bone of contention for a wider debate about the role of agents in football.

Championship club call

Barnsley
Manager: Andy Ritchie.

Signed: Michael McIndoe, mf from Doncaster - undisclosed; Sam Togwell, def from C. Palace - undisclosed; Michael Coulson, fwd from Scarborough - free.

Transferred: Barry Conlon, fwd to Darlington - free; Stephen McPhail, def to Cardiff - free; Scott Flinders, gk to C. Palace - £250,000; Chris Shucker, mf to Tranmere - free.

Birmingham City
Manager: Steve Bruce.

Signed: Cameron Jerome, fwd from Cardiff - £3m; Stephen Kelly, def from Tottenham - £750,000; Bruno N'Gotty, def from Bolton - free; Fabrice Muamba, mf from Arsenal - loan; Sebastian Larsson, mf from Arsenal - loan; Radhi Jaidi, def from Bolton - £2m.

Transferred: Nico Vaesen, gk to Lierse - free; Emile Heskey, fwd to Wigan - £5.5m; Stan Lazaridis, mf to Perth Glory - free; Kenny Cunningham, def to Sunderland - free; Jermain Pennant, fwd to Liverpool - £6.7m.

Burnley
Manager: Steve Cotterill.

Signed: Steve Jones, fwd from Crewe - free; Alan Mahon, mf from Wigan - £200,000; Andy Gray, fwd from Sunderland - £750,000.

Cardiff City
Manager: David Jones.

Signed: Glenn Loovens, def from Feyenoord - £250,000; Michael Chopra, fwd from Newcastle - £750,000; Roger Johnson, fwd from Wycombe - £275,000; Malvin Kamara, mf from MK Dons - free; Nick McCoy, mf from MK Dons - free; Luigi Glombard, fwd from Nantes - undisclosed; Kerrea Gilbert, def from Arsenal - loan.

Transferred: Cameron Jerome, fwd to Birmingham - £3m; Tereq Khalil, mf to Bournemouth - free; Richard Langley, mf to Luton - free; Derek Soutar, gk to Aberdeen - £55,000.

Colchester United
Manager: Geraint Williams.

Signed: Johnnie Jackson, mf from Tottenham - free; Jamie Cureton, fwd from Swindon - free.

Transferred: Stephen Hunt, def to Notts County - free; Liam Chilvers, def to Preston - free.

Coventry City
Manager: Micky Adams.

Signed: Jay Tabb, mf from Brentford - £300,000; Andy Marshall, gk from Millwall - free; Colin Cameron, mf from Wolves - free; Elliott Ward, def from West Ham - £1m; Mikkel Bischoff, def from Manchester City - free; David McNamee, def from Livingston - £100,000; Wayne Andrews, fwd from C. Palace - free.

Transferred: Dennis Wise, mf to Swindon - free; Richard Shaw, def to Millwall; Clayton Ince, gk to Walsall - free; James Scowcroft, fwd to C. Palace - £500,000.

Crystal Palace
Manager: Peter Taylor.

Signed: Leon Cort, def from Hull - £1.25m; Scott Flinders, gk from Barnsley - undisclosed; Mark Kennedy, fwd from Wolves - free; Carl Fletcher, mf from West Ham - £400,000; James Scowcroft, fwd from Coventry - £500,000.

Transferred: Andy Johnson, fwd to Everton, £8.6 million; Fitz Hall, def to Wigan - £3m; Sam Togwell, def to Barnsley - £270,000; Mikele Leigertwood, def to Sheffield United - £600,000.

Derby County
Manager: Billy Davies.

Signed: Steve Howard, fwd from Luton - £1m; Kevin Poole, gk from Bolton - free.

Hull City
Manager: Phil Parkinson.

Signed: Michael Turner, def from Brentford - £350,000; Sam Ricketts, def from Swansea - £300,000; Dean Marney, def from Tottenham - £200,000; David Livermore, mf from Leeds - undisclosed.

Transferred: Leon Cort, def to Crystal Palace - £1.25m; Scott Wiseman, def to Rotherham - season loan; Kevin Ellison, mf to Tranmere - £200,000; Robbie Stockdale, fwd to Tranmere - free.

Ipswich Town
Manager: Jim Magilton.

Transferred: Dean McDonald, fwd to Gillingham - free; Kevin Horlock, mf to Doncaster - free.

Leeds United
Manager: Kevin Blackwell.

Signed: Seb Carole, fwd from Brighton - free; Kevin Nicholls, mf from Luton - £700,000.

Transferred: Michael Ricketts, fwd to Southend - free; Darren Pugh, mf to Preston - £250,000; Jermaine Wright, mf to Southampton - free; Simon Walton, mf to Charlton - £500,000; Rob Hulse, fwd to Sheffield United - £2.1m; Ben Parker, def to Bradford - loan; David Livermore, mf to Hull - undisclosed.

Leicester City
Manager: Rob Kelly.

Signed: Darren Kenton, def from Southampton - free; Andy Johnson, fwd from West Brom - free; Josh Low, fwd from Northampton - free; Gareth McAuley, def from Lincoln - free.

Luton Town
Manager: Mike Newell.

Signed: Richard Langley, mf from Cardiff - free; Lewis Emmanuel, def from Bradford - free; Adam Boyd, fwd from Hartlepool - £500,000.

Transferred: Enoch Showunmi, fwd to Bristol City - free; Lee Mansell, mf to Torquay - undisclosed; Steve Howard, fwd to Derby - £1m; Kevin Nicholls, mf to Leeds - £700,000.

Norwich City
Manager: Nigel Worthington.

Signed: Lee Croft, fwd from Man. City - £600,000.

Transferred: Jason Jarrett, mf to Preston - £250,000.

Plymouth Argyle
Manager: Ian Holloway.

Signed: Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, fwd from Manchester United - £200,000; Barry Hayles, fwd from Millwall - £100,000.

Transferred: Micky Adams, fwd to Torquay - free.

Preston North End
Manager: Paul Simpson.

Signed: Danny Pugh, mf from Leeds - £250,000; Jason Jarrett, mf from Norwich - £250,000; Kevin Wilson, def from Notts County - £250,000; Liam Chilvers, def from Colchester - free; Sean St Ledger, def from Peterborough - £225,000.

Transferred: Richie Barker, def to Bury - free; Claude Davis, def to Sheffield United - £3m; Chris Lucketti, def to Sheffield United - £300,000; Tyrone Mears, def to West Ham - £1m.

Queen's Park Rangers
Manager: Gary Waddock.

Signed: Nick Ward, mf from Perth Glory - free; Adam Czerkas, fwd from Kolporter Korona - loan; Egutu Oliseh, mf from La Louviere - free.

Sheffield Wednesday
Manager: Paul Sturrock.

Signed: Keny Lunt, mf from Crewe - free; Madjid Bougherra, def from FC Gueugnon - £350,000; Wade Small, fwd from MK Dons - £200,000; Yohann Folly, mf from Southampton - £300,000.

Southampton
Manager: George Burley.

Signed: Grzegorz Rasiak, fwd from Tottenham - £2m; Marcelo Sar-miento, mf from R. Cordoba - season loan; Jermaine Wright, mf from Leeds - free; Bradley Wright-Phillips, fwd from Man. City - £1m; Kelvin Davis, gk from Sunderland - £1m; Pedro Monteiro (Pele), def from Belenenses - undisclosed; Rudi Skacel, mf from Hearts - £1.6m.

Transferred: Darren Kenton, def to Leicester - free; Jelle van Damme, def to Anderlecht - £300,000; Paul Smith, gk to N. Forest - £200,000.

Southend United
Manager: Steve Tilson.

Signed: Michael Ricketts, fwd from Leeds - free; Simon Francis, def from Sheffield United - £600,000; Steve Collis, gk from Yeovil - free.

Transferred: Duncan Jupp, def to Gillingham - free; Mark Bentley, mf to Gillingham; Steven Hammell, def to St Mirren - free; Wayne Gray, fwd to Yeovil - free; Yohann Folly, mf to Sheffield Wed. - £300,000.

Stoke City
Manager: Tony Pulis.

Signed: Vincent Pericard, fwd from Portsmouth - free.

Sunderland
Manager: Niall Quinn.

Signed: Kenny Cunningham, def from Birmingham - free.

Transferred: Joe Murphy, gk to Scunthorpe - free; Gary Breen, def to Wolves - free; Kelvin Davies, gk to Southampton - undisclosed; Andy Gray, fwd to Burnley - £750,000; Julio Arca, mf to Middlesbrough - £1.75m; Christian Bassila, mf to Larissa - free.

West Bromwich Albion
Manager: Bryan Robson.

Signed: John Hartson, fwd from Celtic - £500,000; Chris Perry, def from Charlton - free; Pascal Zuberbuhler, gk from FC Basle - free; Michael Nardiello, fwd from Liverpool - free.

Transferred: Andy Johnson, fwd to Leicester - free.

Wolves
Manager: Mick McCarthy.

Signed: Gary Breen, def from Sunderland - free; Guilherme Finkler, mf from Juventude - loan; Jay Bothroyd, fwd from Charlton - free.

Transferred: Colin Cameron, mf to Coventry - free; Joleon Lescott, def to Everton - £5m; Seol Ki-Hyeon, fwd to Reading - £1m; Mark Kennedy, fwd to C. Palace - free; Keith Lowe, def to Brighton - loan.