The Athletic FC Podcast

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 front line look a little different in the knockout stages?Ayo Akinwolere is joined by The Athletic's James Horncastle and Phil Hay to reflect on an action-packed final night of the league phase of the revamped Champions League, while Aston Villa correspondent Jacob Tanswell joins to discuss the latest around both Duran and Watkins.Host: Ayo AkinwolereWith: James Horncastle, Phil Hay and Jacob TanswellExecutive Producer: Adey MoorheadProducer: Guy Clarke Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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: Ayo AkinwolereWith: Rory Smith, Tim Spiers, Matt SlaterExecutive Producer: Adey MoorheadProducer: Mike Stavrou Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 AkinwolereWith: Mark Carey, Phil Hay & David OrnsteinExecutive Producer: Abi PatersonProducer: Mike Stavrou & Nick Thomson Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 correspondent Laurie Whitwell and Mark Critchley with Charlotte Harpur also dropping by to discuss Amorim's handling of the media and his man-management.Plus, with a week left of the January transfer window there's a focus on United's finances and whether they will be able to spend their way back up the Premier League table.Host: Ayo AkinwolereWith: Laurie Whitwell, Mark Critchley and Charlotte HarpurExecutive Producer: Abi PatersonProducer: Guy Clarke Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Manchester City host Chelsea at the Etihad on Saturday and with just two points separating the sides this could be a key battle in the race for the top four.Pep Guardiola will be looking to get back on track after seeing his side throw away a two goal lead in the Champions League midweek, losing 4-2 to PSG at the Parc des Princes, with issues in midfield an ongoing problem. After already spending more than €140m in the January transfer window, do Manchester City need further additions?Following five Premier League games without a victory, Chelsea got back to winning ways on Monday beating Wolves 3-1 at Stamford Bridge, but how does Enzo Maresca get his forwards firing again?Plus we check in with the club podcasts across The Athletic FC and look ahead to a fixture that nobody would've predicted being quite so exciting when the season kicked off; Bournemouth vs Nottingham Forest.Host: Michael BaileyWith: Tim Spiers, Thom HarrisFeaturing: Sam Lee, Simon Johnson, Andy Mitten, Laurie Whitwell, James Pearce, James McNicholasExecutive Producer: Adey MoorheadProducer: Jay Beale Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Among the tech billionaires, cabinet nominees and former leaders as Donald Trump was sworn in as U.S. president was the most powerful man in football - FIFA president Gianni Infantino….So, with both the Club World Cup and World Cup taking place in the USA in the next 18 months. What impact will Trump and his policies have on football over the next four years?Ayo Akinwolere is joined by The Athletic's Adam Crafton in New York, Felipe Cardenas in Atlanta and Women's Sports Lead, in Burlington, Vermont, Meg Linehan to analyse and debate Trump's role in football, relationship with Infantino as well as assess what his legacy on the sport could be at the end of his time in office.Host: Ayo AkinwolereWith: Adam Crafton, Felipe Cardenas and Meg LinehanExecutive Producer: Adey MoorheadProducer: Guy Clarke Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth produced one of the performances of the season as they demolished Newcastle at the weekend.They are now seventh in the Premier League and eyeing up European football for next season.So how much of their success is down to Iraola - and will they be able to keep hold of him for much longer?Host: Ayo AkinwolereWith: Jon Mackenzie, Phil Hay, Dermot CorriganExecutive Producer: Adey MoorheadProducer: Mike Stavrou Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last night, Chelsea ended their winless run with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Wolves.But despite spending more than a billion pounds assembling their squad - are Chelsea still light in certain areas?And are we to expect a flurry of transfer activity at Stamford Bridge this month?Host: Ayo AkinwolereWith: Liam Twomey, Phil Hay & David OrnsteinExecutive Producer: Adey MoorheadProducer: Mike Stavrou and Nick Thomson Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tottenham's defeat at Goodison Park on Sunday made it seven defeats in their last nine Premier League games.So what is going wrong for Spurs and will Ange Postecoglou be given enough time to turn things around?Ayo Akinwolere is joined by The Athletic's Jon Mackenzie and Jack Pitt-Brooke, who was at Goodison Park covering the game, to analyse Spurs' run of form, the depth of their injury crisis and whether they can improve things with any additions in the January transfer market.Host: Ayo AkinwolereWith: Jack Pitt-Brooke and Jon MackenzieExecutive Producer: Adey MoorheadProducer: Guy Clarke Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 For an exclusive interview, David Ornstein sits down with former Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on a career marked with chaos, mistakes and glory.So coming up you’ll hear about; why Aubameyang wanted to leave Arsenal but stayed, how his relationship with Mikel Arteta broke down, The ‘chaos’ of his time at Chelsea and his harrowing account of the break in that took place at his home.Host: Ayo AkinwolereGuests: David Ornstein & Pierre-Emerick AubameyangExecutive Producer: Adey Moorhead Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.