The Athletic FC Podcast

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Adam Crafton & Liam Twomey as Chelsea are beaten in the League Cup final. We explain why owner Roman Abramovich is is looking to hand over the ‘care’ of the club and what - if anything - it really means. And our Leeds United writer Phil Hay joins us to reflect on the departure of Marcelo Bielsa from Elland Road with Jesse Marsch likely to replace him as...

Hosts Dan Bardell and George Elek are joined by bet365's Steve Freeth to preview the EFL Cup Final - Do Klopp's Liverpool need to boost their trophy haul and does Tuchel go with Lukaku or Havertz upfront? Plus, when does Antonio Conte need to start taking responsibility for Spurs' failures and could Southampton soon challenge for European places? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf...

The Athletic's Matt Slater speaks to Gary Sweet, CEO of Luton Town about his club's rise back up the football pyramid ahead of welcoming the European champions to their famous old stadium and their plans for a new home. Then we also speak to Ukrainian football expert Andrew Todas about the potential impact War with Russia may have on football in Ukraine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...

Hosts Dan Bardell and Flo Lloyd-Hughes are joined by Dom Fifield, senior writer for The Athletic, to discuss his fascinating interview with Joe Cole, and a year on loan in Lille... They reflect on, why it was so unusual for an English international to make such a move, as well as, an iconic Lille side which already boasted Eden Hazard and Dimitri Payet in its attack. Later, the trio debate how the...

The Athletic's Adam Leventhal & Adam Crafton take you inside the biggest Premier League stories and look ahead to this week's action in the Champions League. Our Manchester City writer Sam Lee shares his thoughts on a potential title race after he witnessed a Harry Kane masterclass & details how City have been doing just fine without a striker even after dropping points at the weekend. Are...

Hosts Dan Bardell and George Elek are joined by bet365's Steve Freeth, just as Newcastle are preparing to keep the run going, without Kieran Trippier... Would Jarrod Bowen offer Gareth Southgate something England sorely lack, are we all guilty of under-appreciating Pep's Manchester City and what job did Conte think he was taking? Plus, does Daniel James have anything to prove to his old club Manch...

Mark Chapman & The Athletic's Matt Slater are joined by Andy Anson, CEO of the British Olympic Association to discuss what the future holds for the Winter & Summer Games. Andy tells us why FIFA’s plan to stage the men’s World Cup every two years will threaten the Olympics and be “terrible” for football. Also on the pod, Andrew Zimbalist, an author and economist whose research has led him t...

Hosts Dan Bardell and Flo Lloyd-Hughes are joined by The Athletic's News & Investigations writer Matt Slater, to discuss his special report into a rise in football fan violence: Missiles, Cocaine and Political Agendas... The trio reflect on their own experiences of going to games since the return of fans - post-lockdown - the frightening statistics recently published by the UK Football Policin...

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Adam Crafton & Phil Hay to talk Leeds United, whose struggles continued at the weekend, and to assess the challenge ahead next season with or without manager Marcelo Bilesa. Plus, The Athletic's Italian football writer James Horncastle will be with us to assess the work of Antonio Conte at Spurs so far and James will also help up look ahead to the Champ...

Host Dan Bardell and George Elek are joined by bet365s Steve Freeth, to look ahead to the weekend's Premier League action... After the emotion in the away dugout following Southampton's midweek win at Spurs - does anyone think Hasenhuttl could really walk away from the game yet? What has Dean Smith done to Norwich, and how many of KdB's teammates are more deserving of this year's POTY award? Plus,...

Host Mark Chapman is joined by Doug Whaley a former NFL executive to discuss the lawsuit former Dolphins coach Brian Flores has filed against the NFL and to share his thoughts on a range of subjects including the Rooney Rule, coach selection and how the sport should embrace diversity. Plus, we cross to LA where The Athletic’s US Sports business reporter Dan Kaplan is covering the Super Bowl to sha...

Hosts Dan Bardell and Flo Lloyd-Hughes are joined by The Athletic's Arsenal correspondents, James McNicholas and Art de Roché, to reflect on Aubameyang's legacy, how his relationship with manager Mikel Arteta changed, as well as, how an 'iron-fist' approach to management works in the modern-day Premier League. Plus, the panel discuss Arsenal's quiet January transfer window and assess their chances...

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Adam Crafton & Rob Tanner to discuss Leicester, after a performance described by manager Brendan Rodgers as ‘embarrassing’ - Rob tells us why the squad is in need of an overhaul. We’ll cross to Cameroon and speak to Maher Mezahi for reflections on Senegal finally becoming Africa Cup of Nations Champions and a look back on the impact the tournament has h...

Hosts Dan Bardell and George Elek are joined by bet365's Steve Freeth, to preview the FA Cup 4th round action, starting with a nostalgic fixture on Friday night as Middlesbrough host Manchester United... Plus, has Liverpool's super-smart recruitment set them up to compete for years to come, did Spurs panic buy in January, will Roy Hodgson keep Watford in the Premier League and is it promotion or b...

Mark Chapman and Matt Slater discuss sport’s impact on culture, politics and society and sport in China since the 2008 Games and how international leagues such as the NBA, the WTA and the English Premier League operate in a challenging region that offers an enormous market for business.  Our guests today are Mark Dreyer a China Sports Insider, and author of "Sporting Superpower: An Insider's View...

Hosts Dan Bardell and Flo Lloyd-Hughes are joined by The Athletic's Everton correspondents Greg O'Keeffe and Patrick Boyland, to reflect on a whirlwind month or so at Goodison, as Frank Lampard was finally unveiled as Rafa Benitez' successor AND both Donny van de Beek and Dele Alli signed on Deadline Day to kickstart this new era... Our panel reveal how Lampard came out on top among a seemingly en...

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Adam Crafton & David Ornstein to discuss the biggest transfer deals of the window taking you inside Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's move to Barcelona, Dele Alli 's move to Everton and why other players such as Jesse Lingard didn't get the moves they hoped for. The Athletic's Chris Waugh also drops by to discuss an intense window for Newcastle United who did...

Mark Chapman & The Athletic's Matt Slater are joined by Garry Cook, who over the course of a 30 year career is sport has held executive positions at Nike - where he led the Jordan brand - the UFC and he was also the CEO of Premier League side Manchester City helping to secure the £210 million takeover by current owner Sheikh Mansour.  As well as sharing some of his own experiences in the busin...

Hosts Dan Bardell and Flo Lloyd-Hughes are joined by The Athletic's Man City writer Sam Lee, to discuss Raheem Sterling's 'complicated' relationship with Man City and manager Pep Guardiola as the prospect of leaving the reigning Champions at the end of his current deal looms large for the England superstar... What is it like to play 'Pep Roulette' as a City squad member and more on Guardiola's Jan...

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's David Ornstein & Adam Crafton to look at deals that could be done in the final week of the season. They also discuss managerial recruitment as Manchester United step up the hunt for a permanent head coach. Later in the pod we’ll discuss Watford’s struggles with Adam Leventhal and our Investigations Writer Joey D'Urso will detail the story of a bookmaker...

Hosts Dan Bardell and George Elek are joined by bet365's Steve Freeth to look ahead to another big weekend of Premier League action... Is James Ward-Prowse the best Free-Kick taker in PL history? Is Conor Gallagher better off at Selhurst Park than returning to Stamford Bridge, did Steven Gerrard's return to Goodison Park just get a whole lot harder and much more... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/p...

Mark Chapman & The Athletic's Matt Slater speak to Isha Johansen, who is a member of The FIFA Council, the main decision making body of world football about a range of topics including the challenges she's encountered on her journey to the corridors of power, biennial World Cups, plus diversity and sustainability in the game. Previously Isha was President of the Sierra Leone Football Associati...

Hosts Dan Bardell and Flo Lloyd-Hughes are joined by Joey D'Urso, Investigations writer for The Athletic, to explore the Premier League's increasingly close relationship with Cryptocurrency, NFT's and the Metaverse... What is a 'non-fungible token', why is John Terry promoting something called the 'Ape Kid's Club', what do a cartoon monkey and the Mona Lisa have in common and why supporters should...

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Adam Crafton, David Ornstein & Greg O'Keeffe to discuss Everton's sacking of manager Rafa Benitez and how they plan to replace him. Our Brentford writer Jay Harris joins the pod to detail his exclusive story that Brentford have offered Christian Eriksen a six-month contract with the option of a further year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo...

Hosts Dan Bardell and George Elek are joined by bet365's Steve Freeth to preview a North London Derby with so much at stake for both Arsenal and Tottenham... Plus, how Vieira will look to balance all the attacking talent in Crystal Palace's midfield, which Premier League side could use Bissouma this month, how Chelsea can keep the title race alive and Jarrod Bowen's electric form. Hosted on Acast....