The Athletic FC Podcast

Hosts Dan Bardell and George Elek are joined by bet365's Steve Freeth, to preview Liverpool's trip to Old Trafford - could defeat really spell the end for United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer? Plus, how 'set-piece kings' West Ham have become favourites for their London derby against Spurs, whether Phil Foden could end up with both the Player AND Young Player of the Year awards at the end of the season and how Aaron Ramsdale has softened the blow of Emi Martinez' Arsenal exit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's Dan Sheldon to take you inside the extraordinary meeting that saw Premier League clubs vote to block potential Newcastle United sponsorship deals. Sports Lawyer Daniel Geey will also be with us to discuss the various legal ramifications, the wider context as to how it got to this point and what could come next.Matt Slater is away this week but we’ll also discuss his piece on the battle to show the Premier League in the US, The Athletic’s Felipe Cardenas - who co-wrote the piece - joins us from Atlanta. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosts Dan Bardell and Flo Lloyd-Hughes are joined by The Athletic's Adam Crafton and Tas Melas (of NBA podcast 'No Dunks' fame) to dive into sport's global vaccination effort... Why the Premier League are still lagging behind major US sports leagues in terms of vaccine uptake, the 'conspiracy culture' in English football, how Qatar's vaccine mandate could rock the boat ahead of the World Cup next year and how Wolves managed to vaccinated their entire squad. Plus, more on the curious case of NBA superstar Kyrie Irving: Un-vaxxed and so un-able to play! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic's David Ornstein, Adam Crafton & Simon Johnson to discuss issues involving Manchester United, Newcastle United & Chelsea.After a shambolic defeat at the start of a difficult run of games, we’ll discuss what the future holds for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United..We’ll also talk about Newcastle United, who got off to a disappointing start under new ownership, The Athletic has learned there is considerable pressure from Premier League clubs around the takeover and other issues..And our Chelsea writer Simon Johnson will join us to talk Edourd Mendy, Romelu Lukaku and Olivier Giroud who David has been speaking to for The Athletic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosts George Elek and Ian Irving (standing in for Dan this week) are joined by bet365's Steve Freeth to preview the return of Premier League football...The trio discuss Claudio Ranieri's tough start to life at Vicarage Road and whether Ismaila Sarr was guilty of 'coasting' last year? Plus, how the Arsenal faithful will feel if club legend Patrick Vieira, and his thrilling Crystal Palace side, can take the points on offer at the Emirates on Monday night?Are Chelsea still working out how best to use Lukaku, what do Newcastle have to get right before they can start spending their new-found fortune and more... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Matt Slater visits Championship club Queens Park Rangers to speak to club legend Les Ferdinand who is now director of football at the club & Ruben Gnanalingam, QPR vice-chairman to discuss the club's plans to offer their fans the chance to invest in the club's future both on & off the pitch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosts Flo Lloyd-Hughes and Athletic Editor Dan Barnes (filling in for our usual Dan this week) are joined by reporter Michael Walker, to discuss his article on increasing attendances at non-league football...As Newcastle supporters continue to chant 'we've got our club back', the trio discuss real fan-ownership, a nostalgic match-day experience, out-dated stigmas about supporters and quality of football - all of which, might explain why more and more fans are turning to their local clubs.Plus, as The Athletic continues to celebrate Black History Month, Dan digests some of the latest articles from the collection. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Flo Lloyd-Hughes is joined by The Athletic's Adam Crafton, Chris Waugh & Oli Kay to discuss the takeover of Newcastle United ending Mike Ashley's 14-year ownership of the club.We’ll discuss the big decisions that need to be made by the new owners; the future of Steve Bruce, January spending, how to address the negative publicity and English football’s obsession with money no matter the source. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's George Elek is joined by Bet 365's Steve Freeth to look ahead to England's world cup qualifiers against Andorra and Hungary, games which are surely the perfect opportunity for Harry Kane to build up some form and score some much-needed goals.There's also a look at how last weekend's Premier League action leaves the season poised as we head into the international break. Is Mo Salah heading for another golden boot and could he win Player of the Year for the second time? Might Brentford's excellent start have some of the top 6 hopefuls looking over their shoulder?All this plus we're joined by From The Rookery End's David Cameron Walker for a look at what Claudio Ranieri's arrival at Watford could mean for the Hornets as they prepare to embark on a daunting run of fixtures against most of the top clubs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Athletic's Matt Slater & George Caulkin react to the takeover of Newcastle United by The Saudi Arabia-financed consortium.Then Mark Chapman & Matt Slater speak to Nasib Piriyev, the man who is the head of a consortium trying to buy Premier League club West Ham.And The Athletic’s Joey D'Urso joins us for an exclusive update on a story he has been leading on - The collapse of Football Index. We hear from two people who have lost hundreds of thousands of pounds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.