The Athletic FC Podcast

Flo Lloyd-Hughes is joined by The Athletic's Adam Crafton, Chris Waugh & Oli Kay to discuss the takeover of Newcastle United ending Mike Ashley's 14-year ownership of the club. We’ll discuss the big decisions that need to be made by the new owners; the future of Steve Bruce, January spending, how to address the negative publicity and English football’s obsession with money no matter the source...

The Athletic's George Elek is joined by Bet 365's Steve Freeth to look ahead to England's world cup qualifiers against Andorra and Hungary, games which are surely the perfect opportunity for Harry Kane to build up some form and score some much-needed goals. There's also a look at how last weekend's Premier League action leaves the season poised as we head into the international break. Is Mo Salah...

The Athletic's Matt Slater & George Caulkin react to the takeover of Newcastle United by The Saudi Arabia-financed consortium. Then Mark Chapman & Matt Slater speak to Nasib Piriyev, the man who is the head of a consortium trying to buy Premier League club West Ham. And The Athletic’s Joey D'Urso joins us for an exclusive update on a story he has been leading on - The collapse of Football...

Hosts Dan Bardell and Flo Lloyd-Hughes are joined by The Athletic's NWSL & Women's Soccer Correspondent, Meg Linehan, to discuss the impact of and fall-out from her sensational story that has brought the league to a standstill... Meg reflects on the harrowing details from her piece, it's place in the wider context of protecting women in all walks of society and how the swell of support from ac...

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Adam Leventhal, Adam Crafton & Italian football writer James Horncastle to detail all you need to know about the owners of Premier League side Watford who have sacked Xisco Munoz to make way for Claudio Ranieri as their new manager. And our Liverpool writer Simon Hughes joins us to discuss the future of Mohamed Salah as discussions over a contract exten...

Hosts Dan Bardell and George Elek are joined by bet365's Steve Freeth, to preview Manchester City's trip to Anfield... Will Liverpool seize an early opportunity to prove their title credentials and is Curtis Jones the most underrated English starlet in the Premier League? Plus, how a buoyant Arsenal will fare against xG-defiant Brighton, how Leicester have flat-lined despite Vardy's goals, and a c...

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Matt Slater to explain why UEFA are locked in a legal battle with Barcelona Real Madrid & Juventus as the Super League fallout continues. Dr Katarina Pijetlovic an expert on breakaway leagues. Sports law specialist helps us dig a little deeper & outlines why things played out the way they did and what could happen next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.co...

Hosts Dan Bardell and Flo Lloyd-Hughes are joined by The Athletic's Senior Writer Simon Hughes, to discuss his latest article on Bruno Fernandes' missed penalty apology and a growing trend of footballers feeling as though they have to say 'sorry' for in-game mistakes... Do footballer's social media accounts need to be managed, who is drafting the posts - and for what kind of supporter? Plus, the i...

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's David Ornstein, Jack Pitt-Brooke & Adam Crafton to discuss the stories behind Arsenal's demolition of Spurs and how Arteta, unlike Nuno, has built strong relationships at boardroom level to secure his future. David shares a line from his column about a proposal from the Premier League for meaningful, competitive matches abroad. And The Athletic's Gregg...

Hosts Dan Bardell and George Elek are joined by bet365's Steve Freeth to preview a North London Derby, which neither manager can afford to lose... Plus, whether Pep's Manchester City can enact some Champions League final revenge on Tuchel's Chelsea, how Southampton have coped with some big summer departures and what Michael Olise will bring to Crystal Palace. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy...

Mark Chapman & Matt Slater are joined by football administrator Paul Appleton & business economist Mark Gregory to explain what happens when clubs like Derby County enter administration, how clubs try to survive & how English football can break the cycle of its professional clubs getting into severe financial difficulties in the first place. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for m...

Hosts Dan Bardell and Flo Lloyd-Hughes are joined by The Athletic's Brentford correspondent Jay Harris, to explain why Brentford's impressive start to the season is no surprise to those who've been paying attention over the last five years... Jay discusses the unprecedented decision to replace their Academy with a B-team, innovative recruitment strategy and a model which has become the envy of EFL...

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Adam Crafton & Roshane to discuss the future of West Ham midfielder Declan Rice and explain why United forward Jesse Lingard may play a key role for Manchester United this season. Our Tottenham writer Charlie Eccleshare, saw Chelsea breeze past Spurs on Sunday & he’ll be with us to tell us about the rivalry at boardroom level that has developed betw...

Hosts Dan Bardell and George Elek are joined by bet365's Steve Freeth to preview another big weekend of Premier League football... Who needs the points more on Friday night as Newcastle face Leeds - and how can Bielsa get record signing Rodrigo, to start firing? Can Manchester United bounce back from their Champions League humbling away at an Antonio-less West Ham? Plus, Brentford's work-rate, Spu...

Mark Chapman & The Athletic's Matt Slater are joined by Maheta Molango, the new chief executive of the union that represents professional footballers in England - the PFA. In a wide raging discussion - on topics such as racism, dementia, & the two-year World Cup plan - Maheta shares his vision for leading an organisation, that has faced a series of challenges both on and off the pitch and...

Hosts Dan Bardell and Flo Lloyd-Hughes are joined by The Athletic's Leeds correspondent Phil Hay, to discuss his unmissable new book: 'And It Was Beautiful' - on Marcelo Bielsa's impact at Leeds United... Phil dives into the 'cult of Bielsa' sweeping West Yorkshire, the origins of 'murder-ball', how Kalvin Phillips was transformed from the 'runt of the litter' and much more. Hosted on Acast. See a...

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's David Ornstein who reveals Paul Pogba leaning towards signing new Manchester United contract. Our Wolves writer Tim Spiers joins us to assess the start of manager Bruno Lage and also to tell us about his interview with the club’s owner Jeff Shi.. Also as The Champions League returns, The Athletic’s Oli Kay tell us why he believes despite its imbalanced exce...

Hosts Dan Bardell and George Elek are joined by bet365's Steve Freeth as the Premier League returns... The trio assess Crystal Palace's summer overhaul ahead of Saturday's London Derby with Tottenham and ask if Dan James and Marcelo Bielsa are a match made in heaven? Plus, Newcastle's chances of spoiling Ronaldo's return to Old Trafford and Villa's slow start to the new campaign. Hosted on Acast....

Mark Chapman & The Athletic's Matt Slater are joined by Barry Hearn, a man who is a legend in the business of sport, to share what he has learnt in a 40 year career promoting a range of sports including football, boxing, snooker & darts. In a wide-ranging discussion, Hearn compares the running of football clubs to other industries. He also spoke about the pros and cons of gambling sponsors...

Hosts Dan Bardell and Flo Lloyd-Hughes are joined by The Athletic's Manchester United correspondent, Laurie Whitwell, to discuss 'Article 48' and the 3 o'clock blackout in English football that will prevent many Premier League fans from seeing Cristiano Ronaldo's second debut on Saturday...  An outdated idea or a vital one, given the effects of the pandemic on football's landscape? Plus, how illeg...

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's George Caulkin to talk Newcastle United after the club released a lengthy statement attempting to defend their approach to the summer transfer window. George also shares his experience of being at Wembley to watch England amongst the fans. The Athletic's Everton writer Greg O’Keeffe has the latest on the future of James Rodriguez under Rafa Benitez. And The...

Hosts Dan Bardell and George Elek are joined by bet365's Steve Freeth to assess an important victory on the road for England. The trio wax lyrical about Raheem Sterling's strength and leadership, as well as, an amazing year for Leeds' Kalvin Phillips and more... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman & The Athletic's Matt Slater follow the money spent during one of most interesting transfer windows in years. To help them make sense of the numbers - over £1 billion in the Premier League - they are joined by Tim Bridge, a director in Deloitte’s Sports Business Group. We are then joined by someone whose job it is to make the deals happen - football agent Erkut Sögüt, whose client...

Hosts Dan Bardell and Flo Lloyd-Hughes are joined by The Athletic's Spanish football correspondent, Dermot Corrigan, to assess the fall-out from Real Madrid's failed pursuit of PSG forward Kylian Mbappe... Dermot explains the origins of Real President Florentino Perez' 'obsession' with Mbappe, as well as how PSG could afford to reject £180M! Plus, the impact of La Liga's salary cap, the chaos in B...

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's David Ornstein, Adam Crafton and our Manchester United writer Laurie Whitwell to take you inside the remarkable 24 hours that saw Cristiano Ronaldo go from the verge of joining Manchester City to completing a sensation return to Manchester United. We hear how the like of Sir Alex Ferguson and Rio Ferdinand played a role in turning the tide, we have insight...