Football players’ agents in England pocketed 477 million euros in commissions between February 2024 and 2025. Now, a footballer threatens to put an end to this succulent business. “An agent charges me 5% commission, ChatGPT? Only £15.” This is the story of Demetri Mitchell, the footballer who negotiated his contract with Leyton Orient without an agent, only with IA.
Mitchell, 28, has a past in the Manchester United youth team, won an under-17 European Championship and made his debut with the ‘Red Devils’ in May 2017, with José Mourinho on the bench. After a loan to Scottish Hibernian, and signings for Blackpool, Hibernian again and Exeter City, this midfielder was free this summer.
Leyton Orient, a London club in League One (English Third Division), offered him a contract and Mitchell, instead of turning to an agent to negotiate a better amount, opted for Artificial Intelligence.
“I started using ChatGPT and asked him how to negotiate the contract and what to say. I said things like ‘This is what I was earning last season, I’d have to move to London, so what’s the cost of living there?’ My wife is moving in with me and we have a small son. I knew I could negotiate above what he had offered me, but I didn’t want to say directly: “I deserve so much,” the footballer commented on the “From My Left” podcast.
Mitchell also benefited from the fact that by not using an agent, he received a signing bonus.
“ChatGPT has been my best agent to date. Normally you have to pay an agent 5%, whereas ChatGPT’s premium subscription is £15,” Mitchell added.
Mitchell’s case is reminiscent of that of Kevin de Bruyne, who negotiated his new contract with Manchester City in 2021 without an intermediary. On that occasion, the Belgian player used his statistics and his performance to present a series of arguments to the City directors that validated his request for a salary increase. Instead of using an agent, De Bruyne hired the company Analytics FC, which condensed his data to highlight his value to the club.
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More than 500 million spent on agents
In England, payments to agents and intermediaries grow year after year. In the period between February 2024 and February 2025, Premier League clubs spent £409 million on these fees. Those who paid the most were Chelsea, with 60 million pounds, Manchester United, with 52 million, and Manchester United, with 33 million.
If you go down the English football pyramid, the spending doesn’t stop. The Championship teams spent 63 million in total, those in League One 7 million and those in League Two (Fourth division) 2.7 million. From the Fifth Division down, it was close to a million pounds.
Mitchell justifies his decision to use ChatGPT for his new signing by the short careers of footballers and the need to squeeze important contracts, especially for lower league players.
“People say that we earn very well and it is true that we are very lucky, but there is a big difference between someone who is a professional footballer and earns 2,000 or 3,000 pounds a week and a doctor who earns the same. The difference is that the doctor has it guaranteed until he is 65 years old, while players from the Championship and below usually have one or two years of contract.”
Mitchell also argues that 45% must be subtracted from those thousands of pounds per week in taxes – somewhat lower because it is done in sections – and the 5% that goes to agents.
“In the end you only see half of it, which is still a great salary, but you have a mortgage, a car, a child, etc. It is not as lucrative and glamorous as it seems, because you also have to think about life once your career is over. You are not going to play until you are 65, you are only guaranteed the two years you have in your current contract.”
With information from EFE
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