The Athletic FC Podcast

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Adam Crafton & Phil Hay to talk Leeds United, whose struggles continued at the weekend, and to assess the challenge ahead next season with or without manager Marcelo Bilesa.Plus, The Athletic's Italian football writer James Horncastle will be with us to assess the work of Antonio Conte at Spurs so far and James will also help up look ahead to the Champions League that return this week as Conte’s former side Inter Milan face Liverpool.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Dan Bardell and George Elek are joined by bet365s Steve Freeth, to look ahead to the weekend's Premier League action... After the emotion in the away dugout following Southampton's midweek win at Spurs - does anyone think Hasenhuttl could really walk away from the game yet? What has Dean Smith done to Norwich, and how many of KdB's teammates are more deserving of this year's POTY award?Plus, are Gerrard's Villa the new 'agents of chaos', how do you stop and in-form Allan Saint-Maximin and is Brendan Rodgers under serious pressure at Leicester? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Mark Chapman is joined by Doug Whaley a former NFL executive to discuss the lawsuit former Dolphins coach Brian Flores has filed against the NFL and to share his thoughts on a range of subjects including the Rooney Rule, coach selection and how the sport should embrace diversity.Plus, we cross to LA where The Athletic’s US Sports business reporter Dan Kaplan is covering the Super Bowl to share what he's heard on the ground ahead of Sunday's finale.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosts Dan Bardell and Flo Lloyd-Hughes are joined by The Athletic's Arsenal correspondents, James McNicholas and Art de Roché, to reflect on Aubameyang's legacy, how his relationship with manager Mikel Arteta changed, as well as, how an 'iron-fist' approach to management works in the modern-day Premier League.Plus, the panel discuss Arsenal's quiet January transfer window and assess their chances of sneaking into the Top 4 this season. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Adam Crafton & Rob Tanner to discuss Leicester, after a performance described by manager Brendan Rodgers as ‘embarrassing’ - Rob tells us why the squad is in need of an overhaul.We’ll cross to Cameroon and speak to Maher Mezahi for reflections on Senegal finally becoming Africa Cup of Nations Champions and a look back on the impact the tournament has had across the game.And Daniel Taylor joins us to tell us about his special report on the difficult issue of rehabilitation in football. 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 FA Cup 4th round action, starting with a nostalgic fixture on Friday night as Middlesbrough host Manchester United...Plus, has Liverpool's super-smart recruitment set them up to compete for years to come, did Spurs panic buy in January, will Roy Hodgson keep Watford in the Premier League and is it promotion or bust for Scott Parker's Bournemouth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman and Matt Slater discuss sport’s impact on culture, politics and society and sport in China since the 2008 Games and how international leagues such as the NBA, the WTA and the English Premier League operate in a challenging region that offers an enormous market for business. Our guests today are Mark Dreyer a China Sports Insider, and author of "Sporting Superpower: An Insider's View on China's Quest to Be the Best" and William Nee, who is the research and advocacy coordinator at Chinese Human Rights Defenders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosts Dan Bardell and Flo Lloyd-Hughes are joined by The Athletic's Everton correspondents Greg O'Keeffe and Patrick Boyland, to reflect on a whirlwind month or so at Goodison, as Frank Lampard was finally unveiled as Rafa Benitez' successor AND both Donny van de Beek and Dele Alli signed on Deadline Day to kickstart this new era...Our panel reveal how Lampard came out on top among a seemingly endless list of candidates - which included the likes of Wayne Rooney - who will make up his back-room staff, how he can help reignite Dele Alli's career and if Alli and DvB can even operate in the same team!Plus, senior writer Dom Fifield sets the record straight on Lampard's tenure as Chelsea head coach and explores what 'Lampard-ball' could look like at Everton. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Adam Crafton & David Ornstein to discuss the biggest transfer deals of the window taking you inside Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's move to Barcelona, Dele Alli 's move to Everton and why other players such as Jesse Lingard didn't get the moves they hoped for.The Athletic's Chris Waugh also drops by to discuss an intense window for Newcastle United who didn't get everything they wanted but did they get what they need to stay in the Premier League? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman & The Athletic's Matt Slater are joined by Garry Cook, who over the course of a 30 year career is sport has held executive positions at Nike - where he led the Jordan brand - the UFC and he was also the CEO of Premier League side Manchester City helping to secure the £210 million takeover by current owner Sheikh Mansour. As well as sharing some of his own experiences in the business of sport, Garry also gives his thoughts on the current landscape of Premier League football including the takeover of Newcastle United. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.