In the week it was announced that AFC Wimbledon spent £26,700 on agents’ fee in a year, boss Neal Ardley says the club works hard to match its young stars with the right agent.

The Football League published the stats this week, covering expenditure between October 2014 and September 2015, and they revealed that clubs in League Two spent a combined total of £1m on agents’ fees, compared to the £129.86m spent in the Premier League.

The biggest spenders in the Premier League were Liverpool (£14.3m), Cardiff City (£2.8m) topped the list in the Championship and Wigan Athletic spent £1.46m to lead the way in League One.

Portsmouth splashed the most cash in League Two, paying agents £268,175 compared to Hartlepool and Accrington Stanley, who kept their cheque books firmly closed.

Ardley said: “In my playing days, I had an agent for a brief spell, but I did most of my own negotiating.

“Nowadays, agents are common place and the figures are exceptionally high.

AFC Wimbledon: Is Dons' exile over at last?

AFC Wimbledon 1-1 Leyton Orient: "We've drawn a game we should have won, and we have to take it on the chin", says Ardley

Ardley accuses ref of lying over time added on at Leyton Orient

“Clubs, especially in the top two leagues, have to work agents’ fees into their budgets. They’ll add five or seven per cent, or whatever it may be, to cover those costs.”

He added: “Some of the agents work very hard for their boys, and do a good job. Some don’t do enough.

“They are some really good ones, who are very knowledgeable about football and who look out for their players, and earn their money – and then there are some who don’t. It’s probably like any industry, there are good and bad.

“It is part and parcel now, so we try to make sure our younger players are matched with the agents who work hard for their players and are not there to butter them up.”

Follow @ylgsport on Twitter