The Athletic FC Podcast

Amid a series of reported bids for unwanted Chelsea stars, host Adam Leventhal is joined by The Athletic's Matt Slater, to examine the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the new owners at Stamford Bridge...Does the rapidly subscribed to 'conspiracy theory' that Chelsea are attempting to 'cheat FFP' stand up to questioning, is there a genuine conflict of interest for Newcastle's owners or are calls from rival supporters and pundits for a blanket embargo on transfers, premature?Football correspondent David Ornstein also provides an update on the Kingdom's pursuit of various PL stars and the panel assess Saudi Arabia's longer-term footballing ambition.Produced by Adonis Pratsides Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Manchester City sweep all before them to win a treble, where does City’s dominant season rank in comparison with those conjured by teams across football and other sports down the years?Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Adam Crafton & Jack Pitt-Brooke to share the teams they think are the greatest in sporting history, the various caveats & bias we all hold plus debate the futility on agreeing on these debates in the first place!***• 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.

Istanbul plays host to the Champions League final tonight just months after the horrific earthquake that killed tens of thousands of people in Turkey.Our reporter Adam Leventhal went to the country to see how it is recovering from the worst natural disaster in its modern history.In part one of our two-part series, Adam visits Hatayspor; the club Christian Atsu played for before he tragically passed away in the quake.To check out part two, just search for The Athletic's audio documentary feed 'Go Deeper' wherever you listen to your podcasts:https://pod.fo/e/182cacProduced by Adonis Pratsides. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Manchester City head to Istanbul in search of a Treble, having already secured the Premier League and FA Cup, Inter Milan stand in their way of achieving football greatness.Pep Guardiola aims to lead City to their first European success and in doing so end his own 12-year wait for Champions League success.Dan Bardell is joined by George Elek, Tim Spiers and bet365's Steve Freeth to preview the action as well as discuss some of the week's other big issues, including Ange Postecoglou's appointment at Tottenham Hotspur, plus, there's the Trivia as ever!Produced by Guy Clarke Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lionel Messi has opted to join Inter Miami in MLS over a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia or a romantic return to Barcelona.On this bonus episode of The Athletic Football Podcast, Adam Leventhal is joined by Felipe Cardenas in the US, Pol Ballus in Spain and Matt Slater in, err, Macclesfield to explain the intricacies of the move from every angle.How close was a return to Barcelona realistically? Why did Miami eventually win him over? Here’s all the big questions answered…Produced by Mike Stavrou. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Real Madrid won the race to sign Jude Bellingham and why he chose La Liga over the Premier League.. We also have all the detail of how much are they paying Dortmund, how Real funded the deal and why they will not be finished spending just yet.Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's David Ornstein - who broke the story - our German football writer Rafa Honigstein & Dermot Corrigan who is in Madrid Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week the Saudi Arabian domestic league announced a big revamp. In short it’s more teams, bigger talent, and a huge injection of cash. How will it work? Who could be joining Cristiano Ronaldo and now Karim Benzema out there? And what is the Kingdom's ultimate goal?To answer these questions Mark Chapman is joined by Adam Crafton, Jacob Whitehead and Wael Jabir Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After 72 days of searching for Antonio Conte's successor, Tottenham Hotspur have named Ange Postecoglou as their new head coach.Following his successive spell north of the border with Celtic, can he replicate that in North London and turn around Tottenham's fortunes?Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Charlie Eccleshare and CODE Sports' Adam Peacock to delve into the Australian's career to date and consider how suitable a fit he is for the hotseat at Spurs.Produced by Guy Clarke***• This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/athleticfootball today to get 10% off your first month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Coming up, how far are Manchester United from Manchester City in terms of success on the football pitch? And with uncertainty around ownership and transfer funds, what can they realistically do to close the gap next season? Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Laurie Whitwell & Mark Critchley. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan Bardell, George Elek, Tim Spiers and bet365's Steve Freeth are here to cast an eye over events at Wembley this weekend as Manchester City look to take a step closer to sealing the Treble.With Manchester United out to stop them matching Sir Alex Ferguson's feat of 1999 the panel look in depth to the match-up at Wembley with both The Athletic's Man City and Man Utd writers Sam Lee and Laurie Whitwell giving the perspective from both sides of Manchester.Plus there's a look at the managerial merry-go-round following the end of the Premier League season as well as the Trivia too!Produced by Guy Clarke Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.