The Athletic FC Podcast

Ayo Akinwolere is joined by The Athletic's Adam Crafton and Sarah Shephard, to reflect on Manchester United's U-turn over the decision to bring back Mason Greenwood and discuss what's next for both?What really happened in the days after Adam's reporting revealed Chief Executive Richard Arnold's plans for Greenwood's re-integration with the first team. And did the combined statements leave us with more questions than answers?Plus, the panel are joined by Theresa Parker from Women's Aid - who've been in contact with the club this week - on the lessons that still need to be learned from this.Produced by Adonis PratsidesExecutive Producer: Adey Moorhead Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ayo Akinwolere is joined by The Athletic's Dom Fifield and Jay Harris to reflect on the significance of Michael Olise's decision to stay at Crystal Palace, amid interest from serial spenders Chelsea...What is it about the 21-year-old winger that attracted interest from Chelsea (and even Manchester City) and is it important that so-called 'smaller' Premier League clubs, fight back against the tide of mega-rich teams - like Chelsea - stockpiling the best young prospects from elsewhere in the league.Produced by Adonis PratsidesAdditional Production: Jay BealeExecutive Producer: Adey Moorhead***• Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to https://nordvpn.com/theathletic to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + 4 months for free! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Having scored three goals in his opening two La Liga games Jude Bellingham has enjoyed a meteoric start to his career with Real Madrid.The Athletic's Guillermo Rai and Dermot Corrigan join Ayo Akinwolere to analyse Bellingham's start to life in Madrid and role in Carlo Ancelotti's tactical overhaul.Produced by Guy ClarkeExecutive Producer: Adey Moorhead***• Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to https://nordvpn.com/theathletic to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + 4 months for free! It’s completely risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee!  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a special bonus episode from The Athletic's team in Australia, Michelle Owen is joined by Michael Cox, Charlotte Harpur, Mark Carey and Laia Cervelló Herrero to reflect on how Spain became Women’s World Champions.Their 1-0 victory over the Lionesses sees La Roja go from entering the tournament with internal strife and acrimony, being humiliated 4-0 by Japan in the group stages; to winning the whole thing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam Leventhal returns to preview the second round of fixtures of this Premier League season, featuring mouth-watering clashes such as Man City vs Newcastle, Spurs vs Man Utd, and... Nottingham Forest vs Sheffield United? Nick Miller is on hand to make the case for the latter, while Arsenal writer Art de Roche and Spurs correspondent Tim Spiers make up the rest of this star-studded (their words) panel.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yesterday Adam Crafton broke the news on The Athletic that Manchester United’s chief executive, Richard Arnold, told the club’s executive leadership in early August that United were planning to reintegrate Mason Greenwood into the first team.This comes after Greenwood had sexual assault charges against him dropped in February - charges that he denied.Ayo Akinwolere is joined by The Athletic’s deputy editor Laura Williamson, reporter Adam Crafton and Manchester United writer Laurie Whitwell to explain what has happened. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ayo Akinwolere is joined by The Athletic's Peter Rutzler and Carl Anka, French football writer Tom Williams and Brazilian football correspondent Renato Senise, to reflect on Neymar's move to Saudi Arabia...The panel assess his PSG legacy, after six years in the French capital and the world-record transfer fee, that represented a watershed moment for the sport.Plus, how he is viewed back in Brazil and if Neymar remains a truly generational talent or a case of talent unfulfilled?Produced by Adonis PratsidesAdditional Production: Mike Stavrou & Jay BealeExecutive Producer: Adey Moorhead***This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/athleticfootball and get on your way to being your best self. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ayo Akinwolere is joined by The Athletic's Football Correspondent David Ornstein and our Chelsea and Liverpool writers Simon Johnson & James Pearce to discuss how Mauricio Pochettino’s side won the race to sign Moises Caicedo for a whopping £115m.We also hear how Chelsea also swooped in for Romeo Lavia from under the noses of Liverpool and the story behind the transfer battle between the two clubs.And the panel answer the question on everyone's lips - how on earth can Chelsea keep spending like this?!Produced by Adonis PratsidesAdditional Production: Jay Beale & Mike StavrouExecutive Producer: Adey Moorhead***This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/athleticfootball and get on your way to being your best self. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the transfer window’s longest-running sagas is over now Harry Kane has swapped Tottenham Hotspur for Bayern Munich in a deal worth more than €100 million (£86.4m, $110m).Join Ayo Akinwolere, David Ornstein, Charlie Eccleshare and Seb Stafford-Bloor as they delve into the detail of the deal, explain how Bayern secured the England captain’s signature and assess where Tottenham go next.Produced by Guy ClarkeExecutive Producer: Adey Moorhead***This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/athleticfootball and get on your way to being your best self. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adam Leventhal previews the return of the Premier League with the help of a crack team of Athletic staff: Laura Williamson, Jay Harris & Nick Miller. Plus, David Ornstein and Rafa Honigstein on Kane.On the agenda, we discuss Harry Kane's decision to sign for Bayern Munich. Liverpool head to Stamford Bridge, and how optimistic are you - we reveal the results of our Hope-O-Meter survey... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.