The Athletic FC Podcast

Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio couldn’t save Aston Villa last night as they lost 4-1 away at Crystal Palace. The two marquee signings were brought in to boost Unai Emery’s side at the business end of the season. But are Rashford & Asensio the solution to Villa’s problems right now?  Host: Ayo Akinwolere With: Jacob Tanswell & Rory Smith  Executive Producer: Adey Moorhead Producer: Mike...

Last season marked the first time since 1998 that all three promoted Premier League teams were relegated. It looks like history may repeat itself this season, after another miserable weekend for Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Southampton. So will all three go down?  And if so, what does it say about the gap between the Premier League and the Championship? Host: Ayo Akinwolere With: Stu James &am...

Liverpool have moved 11 points clear in the Premier League title race with Mohamed Salah leading the way in their 2-0 win over Manchester City. His goal and assists are edging him towards records set by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. Mohamed Salah is one of the Premier League’s Greatest but could he be THE greatest? Ayo Akinwolere is joined by Oli Kay, who was at the Etihad on Sunday for The A...

Ever thought about how elite football clubs actually go about using data to analyse and recruit players? Well, The Athletic FC Tactics Podcast has the answers you need. Paul Power from sports data company, Skillcorner, joins the show to chat about how clubs really use data in recruitment and analysis. Plus… what the future could hold in terms of football’s relationship with AI? Host: Michael Baile...

Manchester City host Liverpool on Sunday in what could be a decisive game in this season’s title race.  Pep Guardiola will be hoping to fix Manchester City’s out of possession problems, that contributed to them being dumped out of the Champions League midweek.  After consecutive draws away from home in the Premier League, can Arne Slot’s side make a statement at a ground they have won just once at...

On a night Man City had no margin for error, Kylian Mbappe took away any hope scoring his first hat-trick at the Bernabeu for Real Madrid. With his treble, the Frenchman became just the fourth player to score a Champions League knockout hat-trick for Madrid following in the footsteps of the likes of Ronaldo Nazario, Karim Benzema and of course Cristiano Ronaldo. So can Mbappe reach Cristano Ronald...

Defeat at Spurs last weekend left Manchester United in 15th place in the table  Next up they take on a resurgent Everton managed by the first person challenged with bringing back the good times at Old Trafford. So from David Moyes to Ruben Amorim, United seems to be stuck in a cycle of underperformance.  So what is preventing them from moving forward? Host: Ayo Akinwolere With: Adam Crafton, Oli K...

The Premier League’s financial rules will still be in place for next season despite plans to change them. Teams like Manchester United, Aston Villa and Newcastle blame these rules for stopping them spending heavily on new players. So why the delay for the new rules? And how exactly do they impact clubs and their summer transfer plans? Host: Ayo Akinwolere With: Matt Slater & Jacob Whitehead Ex...

On Friday night Chelsea suffered a fourth defeat in eight Premier League games, going down 3-0 away to Brighton & Hove Albion. Having slipped from fourth to sixth, frustrations have come to the fore including from star player Cole Palmer. So, has Maresca ball gone flat? Ayo Akinwolere is joined by Chelsea writer Liam Twomey and senior football writer Oli Kay to analyse Chelsea's recent shortco...

The self destruction derby? The banter bout? El Calamitico?  The Athletic’s Manchester United writer Carl Anka and Tottenham writer Jack Pitt-Brooke join football writer Tim Spiers and host Adam Leventhal to preview Tottenham vs Manchester United.  With the sides sitting 13th and 14th respectively, who will be holding the crisis baton come Sunday evening?  Plus we check in with some of the club po...

Goodison Park’s final Merseyside derby delivered with James Tarkowski popping up with the stoppage time equaliser for Everton in their 2-2 draw with Premier League leaders, Liverpool. Despite the draw sending Arne Slot's side seven points clear at the top of the Premier League could the draw at Goodson disrupt their title charge? Ayo Akinwolere is joined by Stu James and Andy Jones to pick the bon...

Tonight’s Merseyside derby will be the last ever at Goodison Park - and there have been some absolute belters in the past. So what are Everton losing in moving from Goodison? And what are the benefits of football clubs switching to a new home?  Host: Ayo Akinwolere With: Paddy Boyland, Rory Smith and Adrian Clarke Executive Producer: Adey Moorhead Producer: Mike Stavrou Hosted on Acast. See acast....

Last week, Santos fans welcomed back club legend Neymar after 12 years away. So why is he back in Brazil, why did it go so wrong in Saudi Arabia? And how hard is it for players to live up to exorbitant price tags? Host: Ayo Akinwolere With: Natalie Gedra and Phil Hay Executive Producer: Adey Moorhead Producer: Mike Stavrou and Nick Thomson Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informatio...

In the space of just four days, Tottenham Hotspur have been knocked out of both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup at the hands of Liverpool and Aston Villa. It means their hopes of ending their 17-year trophy drought now rest solely on the Europa League. So where do Spurs and Ange Postecoglou go from here?  Ayo Akinwolere is joined by The Athletic's Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Jack Pitt-Brooke and le...

The first piece of silverware in 2025 will be contested between Newcastle and Liverpool, when they meet in the Carabao Cup final.  The Athletic's senior writer George Caulkin joins Tim Spiers and host Adam Leventhal to discuss whether Eddie Howe's side can finally end their 70 year trophy drought.   Plus we check in with some of the club podcasts across The Athletic FC, setting you up for the FA C...

We're joined by UK Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy to discuss the introduction of an independent football regulator within English football. Whether it’s financial mismanagement, questionable ownership, or lack of accountability - football in England has faced some huge challenges in recent years which is why the British government, wants to appoint an independent regul...

After Bayer Leverkusen’s miraculous title-win last season, this season it seems to be business as usual, with Bayern Munich six points clear of Leverkusen at the top of the table. So, can anyone stop Bayern reestablishing themselves as the dominant force in the Bundesliga?  And is Vincent Kompany creating a side that are serious contenders for Champions League glory?  Host: Ayo Akinwolere With: Ja...

The January transfer window has officially shut. We saw Marcus Rashford move to Aston Villa on loan, while Manchester City brought in a much-needed midfielder in Nico Gonzalez. So… which teams were the winners and losers in the window? Host: Ayo Akinwolere With: David Ornstein, Rory Smith and Jacob Tanswell Executive Producer: Adey Moorhead Producer: Mike Stavrou & Nick Thomson Hosted on Acast...

Liverpool legend Alan Hansen who famously said "you can't win anything with kids" Yet on Sunday Arsenal’s teenagers took centre stage as they dismantled the champions with both Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri getting on the scoresheet. So can Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal win anything with kids? Ayo Akinwolere is joined by The Athletic's James McNicholas and Phil Hay to discuss the 5-1 win over Man...

Football fans are desperate for transfer news - and it's often bigger than the sport itself. Open twice a year - in January and the summer - the transfer window changes the game. But what actually goes on when deals are made? Join Adam Leventhal as he goes behind the scenes at training grounds, stadiums and offices to explain the anatomy of a transfer and to breakdown the complex process of what a...

Arsenal host Manchester City on Sunday in what some are called the 'stay humble' derby. The last time these sides met was back in September's thrilling 2-2 draw, where things boiled over at full time. The Athletic's Arsenal writer James McNicholas and Manchester City writer Sam Lee join Tim Spiers and Adam Leventhal to preview Sunday's clash. Plus we check in with some of the club podcasts across...

On an evening of mayhem across Europe, Man City got the job done and avoided Champions League elimination, beating Club Brugge 3-1 to progress into the knockout phase. But is the prospect of Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the play-off something Pep Guardiola's side will relish? Elsewhere, with Jhon Duran set to leave for Saudi Arabia and Arsenal interested in Ollie Watkins, could Aston Villa’s fr...

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are languishing in the bottom half of the table - they sit in 12th and 15th place respectively.  Tough times have fallen on two of the ‘Big Six’ - the traditional heavyweights of English football. So in terms of both on-pitch and off-pitch matters, does the idea of those aforementioned powerhouse clubs dominating the Premier League still ring true?  Host: Ay...

As revealed by David Ornstein on today’s Transfer DealSheet, Aston Villa could be tempted to sell Jhon Duran for around 80 million pounds. That valuation of the Villa striker got us thinking - what makes a top No.9 in 2025? And with many teams wanting an elite striker - why is it so hard to find them? Host: Ayo Akinwolere With: Mark Carey, Phil Hay & David Ornstein Executive Producer: Abi Pate...

A smashed TV, a lack of cash, and more box office quotes from Ruben Amorim who told the media after his side's 1-0 win at Fulham he would prefer to name his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital on the bench ahead of Marcus Rashford. Having made it four wins from five, are Man United showing signs of improvement under Amorim? Ayo Akinwolere is joined by The Athletic's Manchester United corresp...