The Athletic FC Podcast

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 into how Jorge Mendes put the deal together, plus discussion of where this leaves Manchester City after a summer of missing out on top targets in the no.9 department.All this plus updates on Kylian Mbappe's potential move to Real Madrid in the last two days of the window, Chelsea's pursuit of Jules Kounde which now looks unlikely, and we have news of an off-field depature at Anfield as Liverpool's sporting director Michael Edwards looks set to leave the club at the end of his contract. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosts Dan Bardell and George Elek are joined by bet365's Steve Freeth to preview another big weekend of Premier League action... Will Arsenal's renewed self-confidence make a jot of difference against Manchester City? And could Cristiano Ronaldo really be about to sign for the 'noisy neighbours'?Plus, why both Leeds and Wolves' bad luck could all be about to change and who'll come out on top in the heavyweight match-up: Virgil van Dijk v Romelu Lukaku! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman and The Athletic's Matt Slater take a trip north of the border as they are joined by Hibs owner Ron Gordon, who has a fascinating story. Arriving in Edinburgh via a life that started in Peru, passed through Laos with the CIA, before becoming a successful media entrepreneur in the US, he joins us with insight into why he bought the club, the challenges of trying to compete with Celtic and Rangers and his thoughts on the growth potential for Scottish football as a whole.We're also joined by the Rochdale chairman Simon Gauge after a tumultuous few months that has seen the club trying to fend off a hostile takeover by two businessmen, but with the takeover having fallen apart we get an update into exactly what went on and have a wider discussion about the threats many EFL clubs face from potential new owners and the challenges the EFL has in trying to adequately assess the suitability of anyone wanting to buy a football club.And staying with the subject of ownership wrangles, Swindon Town have also been the subjected of a protracted row over who owns the club so we speak to newly appointed CEO Rob Angus for the latest and get some insight into what it's like to go from working in banking to all of a sudden being charged with running a League Two football club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosts Dan Bardell and Flo Lloyd-Hughes are joined by David Ornstein and Arsenal correspondent Amy Lawrence to dissect a brutally honest interview given to The Athletic by former Arsenal, West Ham and England midfielder Jack Wilshere. You'll hear from Wilshere on the difficulties he's had in trying to find a new club, mental health concerns, regrets, as well as, thoughts on Mikel Arteta, Saka, Smith-Rowe and more... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's David Ornstein, Adam Crafton and Art De Roche to assess the situation Arsenal find themselves in after they were well beaten by Chelsea on Sunday leaving them pointless and goalless two games into the new season. With Mikel Arteta approaching two years in the job we look at the reasons why his team feels further away than ever from being where they need to be, the issues the club have had with recruitment and the structure above Arteta that may also be responsible for the problems.We're also joined by The Athletic's Chelsea writer Liam Twomey to reflect on an impressive outing from Romelu Lukaku on his return to the club and look ahead to a greater challenge in Liverpool at Anfield next weekend.All this plus news of Eddie Nketiah potentially leaving Arsenal this week, Kurt Zouma's impending move to West Ham, and an update on the latest with the Harry Kane situation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosts Dan Bardell and George Elek are joined by bet365's Steve Freeth to preview the second weekend of Premier League action... Will the permanent signing of Martin Odegaard lift the mood at the Emirates or will Romelu Lukaku strike on his own return to Chelsea? As Man United travel to Southampton which of last weekend's sharp-shooters will come out on top - Greenwood or Armstrong? Are Brighton everyone's favourite 'second team', does David Moyes have something over Brendan Rodgers and more... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's Business of Sport, Mark Chapman & Matt Slater are joined by Michael Kalt, who was part of the investment group that transformed the Tampa Bay Rays from one of baseball’s worst teams to one of the best and now leads consortiums investing in football across Europe.As well as comparing financial strategies in US & European sport, Kalt discusses how U.S. investors have been seeking out bargains in football, drawn by the game’s ever-increasing global reach and lower valuations.Then , Matt Slater is in conversation with Ipswich Town’s American co-owner Brett Johnson & CEO Mark Ashton to hear about their plans for the club following the US backed takeover. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosts Dan Bardell and Flo Lloyd-Hughes speak to Liam Twomey about the evolution of Thomas Tuchel into the right man for Chelsea at exactly the right time in his own career... How 'Tommy Tactics' has learned from past mistakes in Paris and Dortmund, organising up to 42 players at one time or another during preseason, Lukaku's return and their assault on Man City's Premier League crown. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's David Ornstein, Adam Crafton & Jack Pitt- Brooke to bring you the very latest on the continuing saga of Harry Kane's future and the reasons why this transfer window is proving so problematic for all but the biggest Premier League clubs.We also hear details of a new contract for Liverpool's Jordan Henderson, discuss Paul Pogba's options and why Héctor Bellerín still can't leave Arsenal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosts Dan Bardell and George Elek are joined by bet365's Steve Freeth for the first weekend preview of the new Premier League season... Can newcomers Brentford upset the odds against Arsenal on opening night, who will outscore who as Leeds face Manchester United, will Harry Kane start for Spurs against Man City and just how good is Liverpool's Harvey Elliott? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Oliver Kay to look at how Lionel Messi's transfer to PSG plays against the backdrop of financial fair play, nearly ten years after it was first introduced by UEFA. With Man City and PSG spending as much as they ever have, can we really say that FFP has worked? Has it merely supressed the middle and allowed the elite to break free? Is this latest spending spree just a quirk of the post-covid landscape?We are also joined by Luis Garcia Alvarez - football investor and equity portfolio manager for MAPFRE - for a look at the deal La Liga have done with investment fund CVC Capital - selling a 10% stake for 2.7 billion - and whether it is a good deal for the Spanish clubs. Is it the way forward for European sports leagues to grow revenues sustainably? Or is it dangerous to put your destiny in the hands of profit-minded investors? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosts Dan Bardell and Flo Lloyd-Hughes speak to The Athletic's Laurie Whitwell about Manchester United and the big question marks over their manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Laurie reveals some of the big surprises in writing the piece and he reflects on what the new season may hold for Paul Pogba, Mason Greenwood, Jadon Sancho and others. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Adam Crafton, Dermot Corrigan and James Horncastle to take you inside Lionel Messi's extraordinary departure from Barcelona as he prepares to sign for PSG.Where does this move leave Barcelona on and off the pitch? Why has he chosen to join PSG? Is it about more than just the money? Can Pochettino handle the challenge of managing this squad of superstars? What does this say about the Qatari project after ten years in Paris? All this and more as we take you inside one of the most sensational transfers in football historyThe Athletic's Simon Johnson also joins us to look at Chelsea's £100m deal to bring Romelu Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge from Inter Milan - is this the final piece of the puzzle for Tuchel? And does it mean Premier League title or bust in the eyes of Abramovich? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Mark Chapman & The Athletic's Matt Slater bring an Olympic theme to the Business of Sport and ask what is the value of chasing gold medals - £25 billion according to UK Sport - from a commercial social & political perspective.Guests include UK Sport CEO Sally Munday, Sport England's director of sport Phil Smith and British Cycling director Danielle Every to talk funding, the link between medals & participation, how sports make investment decisions, the value of the sports sector, bidding for major events & working under the huge shadow football casts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Adam Crafton, Sam Lee & Dom Fifield to bring you the latest on moves being made by Manchester City to sign both Harry Kane & Jack Grealish this summer.Plus how PSG could be about to test Manchester United's resolve to keep Paul Pogba & the latest on Chelsea's pursuit of their former striker Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan Bardell is joined by The Athletic's Matt Slater & Oli Kay discuss the horrendous scenes at Wembley stadium ahead of the EURO 2020 final that saw fans clash with stewards and police as they attempted to break through gates for Sunday's historic sporting occasion.As Uefa open disciplinary proceedings into security breaches & Chair of DCMS select committee, Julian Knight MP, writes to FA demanding answers could this scupper England's chances of hosting the World Cup in 2030? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan Bardell is joined by Flo Lloyd-Hughes and The Athletic’s Carl Anka & Jack Pitt-Brooke to react to a heartbreaking evening for England as they beaten by Italy in the final of EURO 2020 at Wembley.There is plenty of positives to discuss both on and off the pitch, but equally the panel reflects on the behaviour of some England fans and ask if Gareth Southgate got the big decisions wrong after getting so much right through the tournament. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Dan Bardell is joined by David Preece plus from The Athletic, Oli Kay & Jack Pitt-Brooke to preview England v Italy in the final of EURO 2020.They are also joined by The Athletic's Italian writer James Horncastle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan Bardell reflects on England reaching the final of a major tournament for the first time since 1966. Alongside Dan - Flo Lloyd Hughes and The Athletic’s Carl Anka who were both at Wembley last night. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan Bardell is joined by Flo Lloyd Hughes & The Athletic's Jack Pitt-Brooke to preview England's semi final against Denmark.Dan is also joined by for Denmark international Martin Laursen who explains the way the Danes will approach the game at Wembley and how his national side have gone some way in bringing the nation together. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Dan Bardell is joined by Lynsey Hooper, David Ornstein & Carl Anka to answer questions from listeners looking ahead to England's semi-final at EURO 2020.Should Gareth Southgate make changes? Is reaching a semi-final a success and a progression or is winning the trophy the only acceptable outcome for England from here? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan Bardell hosts a celebratory look back at a magnificent night in Rome with Flo Lloyd-Hughes, Oli Kay, and The Athletic's England Correspondent Jack Pitt-Brooke.England scored early against Ukraine before dominating first half possession and territory, following that with a flurry of goals just after the break.Just two Wembley wins stand between Southgate's men and victory in Euro 2020; we look at some of the key players in the drama that unfolded on Saturday night and savour the wealth of options going into the final week of the tournament. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Mark Chapman is joined by Flo Lloyd Hughes plus The Athletic's Jack Pitt-Brooke & Adam Crafton to preview England's EURO 2020 quarter-final..The Athletic's Jordan Campbell pops by to give his assessment the England's opponents - Ukraine - who he saw defeat Sweden in the last round. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan Bardell is joined by The Athletic's David Ornstein & Jack Pitt-Brooke to share their insight and answer listener questions on how England beat Germany, why victory was vindication for Gareth Southgate as a coach and what we can expect next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan Bardell is joined by The Athletic's Carl Anka and pro-goalkeeper turned pundit David Preece to relive the nerves, the excitement, and the jubilation of England's 2-0 win against Germany in the last 16 round of Euro 2020. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman is joined by Flo Lloyd Hughes, Dan Bardell & The Athletic's Jack Pitt-Brooke & Raphael Honigstein to preview England's last sixteen tie against Germany at EURO 2020. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A big, big week ahead as England face Germany in the last 16 of EURO 2020 at Wembley on Tuesday and on today’s pod, host Dan Bardell is joined by The Athletic's Oli Kay, Jack Pitt-Brooke & Dan Sheldon to take you inside the training base Gareth’s Southgate's team are using to prepare for their last 16 tie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman is joined by David Preece coach and former professional goalkeeper turned journalist, The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke and also Ben Lyttleton, author of “Twelve Yards”, the definitive study of the “art and psychology of the perfect penalty kick, to explore the analytics, psychology, triumphs and tragedies of England and penalty shootouts at major tournaments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan Bardell reunites the Sunday night England Show podcast team of Flo Lloyd-Hughes and Carl Anka to review another 1-0 win for England.Gareth Southgate's side finished top of Group D with seven points and three clean sheets. Jordan Henderson and Harry Maguire got valuable match minutes, and surprise starter Bukayo Saka gave an excellent performance.Yet, there were still moans. It wasn't the most eventful second half, and Harry Kane looked a little sluggish again. So, have we got what it takes to beat France, Germany, or Portugal? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman is joined by David Preece, Lynsey Hooper & The Athletic's Jack Pitt-Brooke to look ahead to England's final group game of EURO 2020 against the Czech Republic.The Athletic’s data analyst Mark Carey breaks down exactly how and why Harry Kane is struggling with England with some of the numbers he dug up in his piece on The Athletic with Alan Shearer.We also get the lowdown on England's opponents from Karel Häring a Czech journalist & editor of Football Club Magazine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Dan Bardell is joined by David Preece & The Athletic's Jack Pitt Brooke to discuss a disappointing draw for England against Scotland at EURO 2020 and give their views on what Gareth Southgate should do next with the team for the final group game against the Czech RepublicWhat went wrong? Why was there no impact from Harry Kane & is it time start Jack Grealish? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman is joined by Lynsey Hooper & The Athletic's David Ornstein & Jack Pitt-Brooke to look ahead to England v Scotland at Euro 2020.The panel discuss the possibility of Harry Maguire returning from injury and Jack outlines his article on The Athletic about the relationship between Raheem Sterling & Gareth Southgate.The Athletic's Football Analytics writer Tom Worville drops in to look at the numbers to look out for from both sides & Dan Bardell & The Athletic's Gregg Evans share what they know about the fitness of Jack Grealish. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Dan Bardell is joined by The Athletic's Dominic Fifiled, Jordan Campbell & Kieran Devlin to look at the tactical & personnel changes Scotland could make when they face England at Wembley on Friday at EURO 2020.The panel also discuss what the game means to both nations on and off the field from a cultural and political point of view. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan Bardell hosts the latest edition of The Athletic's England Show with our panel of Jack Pitt-Brooke, Flo Lloyd-Hughes, and David Preece answering questions from subscribers.We'll give you our educated opinions on whether Harry Kane was off-colour in the Croatia game, whether Gareth Southgate will rotate his line-up for any of the remaining group games, and when Dan will get to see Jack Grealish feature.On top of all that, we had the breaking news that Dean Henderson has been ruled out of the tournament. Jack kept the team up to speed on how that might impact the squad. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Mark Chapman is joined by Dan Bardell plus the Athletic's George Caulkin & Oli Kay to look back on England v Scotland at Euro 96 with exclusive interviews with key players including Alan Shearer, Paul Ince & Paul Gascoigne. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Dan Bardell is joined by Lynsey Hooper, plus The Athletic’s Ed Malyon & Carl Anka bringing you reaction to England getting off to a great start at EURO 2020 by beating Croatia 1-0 at Wembley.As debate before kick-off surrounded team selection, the panel discuss how Gareth Southgate got things right with the selections of Kieran Trippier, Kalvin Phillips & match-winner Raheem Sterling.Carl also shares the experience of being at Wembley and we hear from The Athletic's England correspondent Jack Pitt-Brooke straight from the post match press conference. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Mark Chapman is joined by Flo Lloyd Hughes, Dan Bardell & The Athletic’s England correspondent Jack Pitt-Brooke to look ahead to England’s first game of the EURO 2020 against Croatia at Wembley on Sunday.The panel discuss how far the two sides have evolved since their semi-final meeting at the 2018 World Cup and Jack shares details from his long read on The Athletic profiling England captain Harry Kane - can he deliver a 'Michael Jordan moment' and lead his team to glory? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Mark Chapman is joined by Lynsey Hooper, The Athletic’s David Ornstein, and our England correspondent Jack Pitt-Brooke. to debate what success will look like for England at Euro 2020.Hear how Gareth Southgate could is now under pressure to deliver for England and how Ben White could well be the solution to issues in central defence for England.We also hear from The Athletic's George Caulkin who shares his thoughts on how he hopes the tournament will deliver for the fans in across the country after a challenging year for all of us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the current England team prepare for Euro 2020, Adam Hurrey and a panel of The Athletic's writers and editors get together to draft their greatest England teams from the past 12 tournaments, all the way back to Euro '96. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan Bardell welcomes Florence Lloyd-Hughes and David Preece to the show for reaction to England's last warm-up fixture before the belated 2020 European Championships.It was another 1-0 win and it had plenty more in common with the Austria game as Gareth Southgate selected a side featuring mostly fringe squad players, some who won't make the final 26, but at least one who will. James Ward-Prowse will hope to take the spot vacated by Trent Alexander Arnold but Ben White could be a dark horse with Harry Maguire's fitness still a doubt.Jack Grealish has started the last two friendlies, providing dynamism and a cutting edge, and he is fancied by some to make the starting XI against Croatia. Sam Johnstone almost certainly won't feature, but he will be a reassuringly solid third choice between the sticks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A bonus edition of the Business of Sport, The Athletic's Matt Slater with a boxing focus. as promoter Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing has agreed a five-year deal with streaming service DAZN to replace Sky Sports as their exclusive broadcast partner in the UK and Ireland.So coming up you’ll hear The Athletic’s Matt Slater in conversation with Eddie Hearn and also DAZN’s Co-CEO, James Rushton discussing the deal and some of the wider issues facing the business side of the sport of boxing.. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Dan Bardell is joined by Flo Lloyd-Hughes & The Athletic’s Carl Anka following a mixed evening for England in their EURO 2020 warm-up game where the big headline was Trent Alexander Arnold hobbling off with an injury that could see him miss the tournament.We hear from The Athletic's England correspondent Jack Pitt Brooke down by The Riverside to get his thoughts on Trent and other matters on the pitch having spoken to England manager Gareth Southgate.Meanwhile did Jack Grealish & Jude Bellingham make strong cases to start at the Euros & are we edging closer to a back three to start at Wembley against Croatia? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Jack Pitt-Brooke & Carl Anka are joined by host Dan Bardell to discuss England's final squad selected by Gareth Southgate for EURO 2020. Why was Trent Alexander-Arnold chosen in the end following speculation that he wouldn't make the cut? How will England cope with players such as Maguire and Henderson who are not fully fit? We also hear from The Athletic's David Ornstein who broke the story of Jesse Lingard's omission from the squad and the panel will also share their thoughts on the other six players who were cut from the provisional 33. We'll also learn how England will shape up for their warm-up game against Austria without a host of first team talent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Mark Chapman & The Athletic's Matt Slater are joined by Tracey Crouch MP, who is leading the UK government's fan-led review of English football.Tracey outlines how the panel will work and its key objectives such as structures and regulation around ownership of football clubs from the elite level to the grassroots. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Dan Bardell is joined by The Athletic's Jack Pitt-Brooke, Carl Anka & Oliver Kay to decide which players should make Gareth Southgate's final England squad for Euro 2020 from the provisional selection of 33.Will Trent Alexander-Arnold make the cut? Which players are unfortunate to miss out altogether?Also if Harry Maguire is not fit should England change tactics and play with a back three? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Adam Crafton and Tim Spiers to detail Nuno's exit as Wolves manager, how he was nearly sacked in January & why to those behind the scenes his departure wasn't much of a surprise.David also bring some transfer news from his column as Premier League clubs keep tabs on Norwich City's Emiliano Buendia and shares his thoughts on the future of Joe Willock, on loan at Newcastle from Arsenal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Mark Chapman and The Athletic's football news reporter Matt Slater are joined by Lars-Christer Olsson, former UEFA CEO who shares his thoughts on the shifting landscape of European football and what he thinks could happen to the clubs still holding on to the Super League plans. And we’ll also look at European basketball, another sport with a closed-shop proposal led by elite clubs - Tomas Van Den Spiegel, President of the Union of European Basketball Leagues joins the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Adam Crafton and Rob Tanner to bring the inside story of how Leicester City continues to be the envy of some the Premier League's so-called Big Six. With exclusive detail on the work done behind the scenes to win the FA Cup including how Jamie Vardy used his dogs to persuade Youri Tielemans to stay at Leicester!David also has an exclusive interview with Lille rising star Sven Botman who plans on ending PSG dominance in France. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Mark Chapman and The Athletic's football news reporter Matt Slater are joined by Kyle Krause, US owner of Italian top flight side Parma Calcio 1913. A hugely successful billionaire businessman, Kyle explains what drew him to Italy as well as the importance he places on going to games and communicating with the fans in the city of Parma.Kyle also shares his thoughts on the proposed European Super League, the negative stereotypes of US owners of football clubs and the business opportunities he sees in Italian football compared with other leagues on the continent.Matt also gets the very latest on Kyle's vineyards! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Ornstein is joined by The Athletic's Dom Fifield, Steve Madeley & Katie Wyatt .Coming up, Steve shares some of the exclusive detail from his deep dive on West Brom’s path to relegation and what the future might hold for Sam Allardyce.Katie will bring us the inside story of Emma Hayes as her Chelsea side sealed back-to-back Women’s Super League titles over the weekend.And we’ll continue our look at how the England squad is shaping up ahead of the Euros this summer, focusing on Gareth Southgate’s options in defence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.