The Athletic FC Podcast

Kylian Mbappe sits down exclusively with Daniel Taylor from The Athletic for a wide ranging interview at Real Madrid’s training ground.

In a wide ranging conversation, he revealed how close he came to joining Liverpool before PSG, working with Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid, his favourite World Cup memories and what he does in his spare time to unwind.

Hosts: Emma Paton & Danny Taylor

Guest: Kylian Mbappe

Executive Producer: Alex Hoffman

Videographer: Rachael Tinde

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more in...

Brentford continued their excellent start to the season with a 3-0 win over Chelsea on Friday night.

Emma Paton is joined by The Athletic's David Ornstein, James Horncastle and Liam Tharme to dive into how the west London side operate so efficiently on and off the pitch.

David also answers listener questions on Spurs' latest investment and what is going on at executive level at Manchester United.

Plus, don't miss our teaser for David's brand new series: Truth or Padel.

Host: Emma Paton

With: David...

Arsenal were dealt a humbling on Saturday as Brighton ran riot on the south coast.

Emma Paton is joined by Cerys Jones and Rob Green to get into how Fabian Hurzeler did a job on the Premier League champions, and where this result leaves Mikel Arteta's side.

Plus, after their worst ever start to a Premier League season, we get into Spurs' defeat to Aston Villa that leaves them bottom of the league, and Stu James drops by to discuss his weekly feature for The Athletic, ranking the performance of all 20 Premier League...

On this week's episode of What If, we're diving into the 2021 European Super League project, which collapsed within a matter of days.

Host Emma Paton is joined by Matt Slater and Dan Kilpatrick to see what would've happened if the idea actually went ahead.

Could it have worked, what would it have meant for domestic leagues, the Champions League and the fabric of football?

Host: Emma Paton

Guests: Matt Slater, Dan Kilpatrick

Executive Producer: Guy Clarke

Producers: Mike Stavrou, Grayson Moody

Hosted...

It’s Tactical Preview time, and this week our primary focus is Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa in north London.

Kate Mason is joined by Rob Green and Liam Tharme to break down how Roberto De Zerbi’s side can try and score their first Premier League goal of the season.

Also on the agenda is Bournemouth vs Liverpool, Brentford vs Chelsea and what’s been behind Hull City’s incredible start to the season.

The panel also break down the importance of pressing in the modern era and how it’s cha...

Manchester United's 15-year-old academy prospect JJ Gabriel has outlined his desire to leave.

To discuss why and how this situation has developed Kate Mason is joined by The Athletic's Adam Crafton and Matt Slater as well as former England goalkeeper Rob Green.

Andy Mitten, co-host, of Talk of the Devils also joins having watched Gabriel extensively at youth team level within the Manchester United academy system.

As well as the situation around Gabriel's registration and Manchester United specifically the panel also delve into the impact Brexit has had on youth...

Liverpool saw off Spurs on Tuesday night to make it two wins from two in the cup competitions, but Andoni Iraola’s side have just one Premier League victory so far.

Emma Paton is joined by The Athletic’s James Pearce and Cerys Jones, plus author of 'Data Game: The Story of Liverpool FC's Analytics Revolution', Josh Williams to get into whether Iraola’s team are adapting to his principles.

Plus, as Andy Robertson made his Anfield return after nine years on Merseyside, the panel discuss whether the current Liverpool squad have enough leader...

Spurs have scored zero goals in their first four Premier League games this season. So why are Roberto De Zerbi's side struggling to find the back of the net despite their £300m summer outlay?

Emma Paton is joined by David Ornstein and James Horncastle to discuss why they're misfiring in front of goal. Tottenham correspondent Jack Pitt-Brooke also drops by to discuss the issue.

David also answers questions from subscribers on Man United's coaching set-up, Coventry City's poor start to the season compared to Hull City and Ipswich Town and interest from Arsenal i...

Erling Haaland settled the 199th Manchester derby with the only goal as Man City came away from Old Trafford with a 1-0 win.

Emma Paton is joined by The Athletic's Cerys Jones and former England goalkeeper Rob Green to pick through a controversial meeting.

Manchester United correspondent Laurie Whitwell reflects on Michael Carrick's anger at the decision to allow Haaland's goal with former Premier League referee Graham Scott joining us to explain the VAR process.

Man City correspondent Sam Lee explains the significance of the derby win for Enzo Maresca...

Ahead of the Manchester derby, this week on What If... we're talking about Wayne Rooney and the hypothetical around whether he could have possibly made the switch across Manchester from United to City back in 2010.

Emma Paton is joined by The Athletic's Jack Pitt-Brooke and Dan Kilpatrick, as well as Andy Mitten from Talk of the Devils to delve into Rooney's at times strained relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson

Our alternative timeline ponders whether the move to City could have taken place, as well as whether Rooney could have moved to Jose Mourinho's...

This week on the Tactical Preview we're looking ahead to the first Manchester derby of the season, as Manchester United welcome Man City to Old Trafford.

Kate Mason is joined by Rob Green and The Athletic's Thom Harris to analyse City's midfield having been reconstructed during the summer transfer window with the arrival of Elliot Anderson, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Enzo Fernandez.

The Athletic's Man City correspondent Sam Lee also drops by to explain how the new unit is coming together, while the panel assess whether playing on the counter may suit Michael Carrick's...

As the Champions League returns, a number of big match-ups have played out including Real Madrid taking on Inter Milan and Liverpool facing Atletico Madrid, but where is the jeopardy?

Kate Mason is joined by Adam Crafton, Matt Slater and Rob Green to analyse the growth and investment within the Champions League and discuss whether the change to the league phase format has led to a closed-shop for the clubs capable of winning the tournament.

Plus, ahead of Sunday's Manchester derby, former Man City CEO Garry Cook joins the podcast to discuss the...

Real Madrid’s 2-1 victory over Inter in their opening Champions League fixture was far from convincing.

Emma Paton is joined by The Athletic's Liam Twomey and Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero to get into Jose Mourinho’s return to the Spanish capital, the panel discuss whether he’s the man to bring silverware back to the Bernabeu amid familiar problems to last season.

Plus, with the shortlist for the Ballon d'Or revealed, could Harry Kane become just the fourth Englishman to win the award?

Host: Emma Paton

Co-hosts: Liam Twomey...

After seeing a late move for Folarin Balogun collapsed Everton have been left with 18 senior first team players, something manager David Moyes seems less than pleased by.

Emma Paton is with David Ornstein and James Horncastle to analyse Everton's transfer dealings, discuss why things played out in the manner they did - including looking likely to strike a deal to sell Harrison Armstrong to Nottingham Forest.

The Friedkin Group are also exploring investment opportunities in the club, so the panel assess the relationship the owners have with the club having only taken control...

Arsenal made it three wins from three at the start of the new Premier League season, coming from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 at the Emirates.

Emma Paton is joined by former England goalkeeper Rob Green and The Athletic's Matt Slater to look back on the weekend's action.

Art de Roche shares his thoughts on Arsenal's attacking rotations on show against Chelsea, with Liam Twomey assessing how far off becoming title challengers Xabi Alonso's side are.

Moving away from the Emirates, the panel assess who else could challenge for the...

For episode two of What If... we're talking Chelsea's former owner Roman Abramovich - and the parallel universe where he buys Spurs, or even Arsenal, instead of the Blues.

Emma Paton is joined by The Athletic's Tim Spiers and Spurs writer Jack Pitt-Brooke and Chelsea writer Liam Twomey to delve into the influence of Abramovich and how he changed the game forever.

Our alternative timeline ponders what would happen to Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Mourinho and the Premier League's ownership and investment landscape had Abramovich not taken over.

Host: Emma...

Welcome back to the Tactical Preview, this week, our focus is on Arsenal vs Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Kate Mason is joined by former England goalkeeper Rob Green and The Athletic’s Tactics writer Liam Tharme to analyse Xabi Alonso’s low-possession style from their first two games and how their potent attack could go about breaking down a stubborn Arsenal side.

The panel also discuss squad building, with multiple clubs going through big changes in personnel over the summer window.

They also look at Everton vs Manc...

This summer the Premier League smashed the record for spending within the division, with £1.7bn worth of transfers between Premier League clubs alone. 

Kate Mason is joined by Adam Crafton, Matt Slater and Rob Green to get into what this means for football here in the UK and why player prices are so high.

Plus, Tim Bridge, lead partner of Deloitte's Sports Business Group, drops in to talk about the impact on the wider game and growing wealth gaps across Europe.

Host: Kate Mason

With: Adam Crafton, Matt Sl...

The transfer window is now closed after another summer of truly bonkers spending. 

Emma Paton is joined by The Athletic's David Ornstein & James Horncastle to get into the deals that stood out and the deals that fell through, including Folarin Balogun's failed move to Everton that had repercussions for Chelsea.

Plus, the panel reveal their favourite signing of the summer, the transfer that made them double take and which set of fans shout be most concerned now the window has shut.

Host: Emma Paton

With: David Ornstein and J...

Welcome to our Deadline Day coverage with The Athletic's transfer specialist, David Ornstein, hosted by Emma Paton. 

They are joined by football analyst JJ Bull and other The Athletic reporters to figure out what transfers could still happen and analyse the latest news.

Host: Emma Paton

Co-hosts: David Ornstein, JJ Bull, Seb Stafford-Bloor

Exec Producer: Adam Jones

Producers: Don Ma, Mike Stavrou 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chelsea made it two wins from two against Brighton & Hove Albion, having scored seven goals in their opening two whilst also conceding five in that time.

Emma Paton is alongside former Chelsea and England goalkeeper Rob Green and The Athletic's Cerys Jones to assess the Blues' chances of challenging under Xabi Alonso.

Elsewhere over the Premier League weekend, Manchester United got their first win of the season seeing off newly-promoted Ipswich Town at Old Trafford, Hull City made it two from two while Tottenham Hotspur suffered a second successive defeat.

...

Welcome to the first episode of a new series on The Athletic FC Podcast: What If…

Every week, host Emma Paton will be joined by a selection of The Athletic’s writers to dive into monumental sliding doors moments in football’s recent history.

From Roman Abramovich’s interest in Spurs before buying Chelsea, to how the career of Brazil's Ronaldo might look if he had avoided serious injury.

On episode one, Tim Spiers and Jon Mackenzie are on the panel to discuss Pep Guardiola’s alternative timeline had he not become...

The Tactical Preview is back and Aston Villa's clash against Arsenal is our primary focus this week.

Host Kate Mason is joined by The Athletic's data writer Thom Harris and former Arsenal midfielder Adrian Clarke to dissect where the game will be won and lost. They focus on Villa's frailties in beating the press, Arsenal's short corners and switches of play. The Athletic's Villa correspondent Jacob Tanswell also drops by to give the lowdown on Villa's midfield struggles in the defeat to Brighton.

The panel also focus on Chelsea vs Brighton, Man United...

Aston Villa have seen their Europa League-winning squad torn apart during the summer transfer window, despite qualifying for this season's Champions League.

Adam Crafton and Matt Slater join Kate Mason to get stuck into one of the biggest talking points in the game right now around the competitive balance within the Premier League, brought on by the spending controls set by the league.

Hannah Vanbiber also joins us in-studio to ask how the Premier League's spending restrictions differ from those commonly seen in US Sports as well as the level of interest of...

After arriving for a combined £225m, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak’s Liverpool careers are yet to get going.

Emma Paton is joined by The Athletic's Simon Hughes, Jay Harris and Seb Stafford-Bloor to get into why the pair are still struggling, and whether Andoni Iraola is the man to get the best out of them.

Plus, after Jamie Carragher called Liverpool's 2025 summer transfer window the 'worst in Premier League history', the panel assess the work of sporting director Richard Hughes, who is expected to leave the club for Al Hilal at the end...

The final week of the transfer window is the busiest time of the year and we've got you fully covered on the podcast.

Emma Paton is joined by The Athletic's Football Correspondent David Ornstein and James Horncastle to discuss the latest market moves.

The panel talk Man City's major summer rebuild including their latest big-money move for Ayoubb Bouaddi and whether they could swoop in to sign Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez at the very last minute.

David also brings us news on Aston Villa's move for Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta, Arsenal's...

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur both fell flat on the opening weekend of the Premier League season losing to Hull City and Brentford respectively.

Emma Paton is joined by Jay Harris and Cerys Jones to assess the shortcomings for both sides, with The Athletic's Manchester United correspondent Laurie Whitwell sharing his views having been at the MKM Stadium.

Mamadou Sangare stole the show on-debut for Brentford, upstaging Spurs' new £185m midfield with both Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes featuring after their summer moves.

Plus, The Athletic's Aston Villa correspondent Jacob T...

Welcome to a brand new offering on The Athletic FC Podcast: our Tactical Preview show.

Kate Mason, Rob Green and Liam Tharme are here to run you through the biggest matches from an analytical lens.

This week, we talk tactical trends we expect to take hold this season, while our primary focus is on the big battle at St James’ Park as Newcastle host Liverpool.

The panel also touch on champions Arsenal vs Coventry, Man City vs Bournemouth and Fulham vs Chelsea.

Host: Kate Mason

Wi...

FSG have sold nearly 40 per cent of Liverpool to a consortium including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, as exclusively revealed by The Athletic earlier this week.

Kate Mason is joined by senior news reporter Matt Slater, former England goalkeeper Rob Green and Jack Pitt-Brooke to discuss the significance of the investment as well as Liverpool’s preparations ahead of the new season.

The Athletic’s Liverpool correspondent James Pearce shares his insight on the Reds’ pre-season preparations as they begin a new era under Andoni Iraola, while Nick Miller drops-by from Trabzon to discuss what c...

With just two days until the new Premier League season starts, Manchester United have made their move for Carlos Baleba.

Emma Paton is joined by Jay Harris, Cerys Jones and Laurie Whitwell to discuss why after long term interest in the Brighton midfielder, the club are once again exploring a deal to sign him.

Plus, with the promoted sides having spent £330m between them already this summer, The Athletic's football finance correspondent Chris Weatherspoon drops by to answer how they're affording it and whether spending big is the key to staying up.

With nine of the 20 Premier League managers being new into their roles ahead of the new season, today we're exploring how they may fare.

Emma Paton is alongside James Horncastle and Tim Spiers to analyse who may succeed and who may struggle.

The Athletic's Newcastle United correspondent George Caulkin also drops by to discuss the introduction to life at St James' Park that Matthias Jaissle has experienced in taking over from Eddie Howe.

Host: Emma Paton

With: James Horncastle and Tim Spiers

Featuring: George Caulkin

With just four days to go until the new Premier League season starts, Arsenal have made a statement with their 3-0 win over Manchester City in the Community Shield, with news also emerging that City midfielder Rodri is on the verge of leaving for Barcelona.

Emma Paton is back in the chair, alongside former England goalkeeper Rob Green and The Athletic's Cerys Jones to discuss the strength of Arsenal's case for defending their Premier League title as James McNicholas shares his thoughts from Cardiff.

Man City correspondent Sam Lee also joins to discuss...

With the Premier League just around the corner, it’s time for our predictions for the 2026/2027 season.

Adam Leventhal is joined in the studio by The Athletic’s Art de Roche and Jay Harris to get into the runners and riders for the title, relegation and more.

Will Arsenal defend their crown, who will challenge them? And can the promoted sides stay up?

With so many new managers coming into the league, the panel discuss who is most likely to hit the ground running.

And they plot exac...

After 13 years away, Jose Mourinho is heading back to Real Madrid but after two trophyless seasons can he return them to winning ways?

Adam Leventhal is joined by Tim Spiers and Thom Harris to analyse why Madrid have turned back to Mourinho as well as the make-up of the squad he has inherited.

The Athletic's Guillermo Rai also joins to explain the view from Madrid on his return as well as their work in the transfer window with Yan Diomande arriving, though Rodri has made his preference for Barcelona over Real Madrid clear.<...

As the new Premier League season approaches, we've been taking a look at which sides have impressed with their summer transfer business, and those left with work to do.

Adam Leventhal is joined by The Athletic's Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Jay Harris as well as our ranking expert Tim Spiers to look through the eye-catching summer business to date.

The market continues to be dominated by midfielders with Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandez heading to Spurs, while Arsenal confirmed the arrival of Bruno Guimaraes.

Our Man City writer Sam Lee touches...

Adam Leventhal is joined by Tim Spiers, Liam Tharme and Simon Johnson to discuss why after years of signing young talent, Chelsea have recruited two veterans in Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson.

The panel break down BlueCo's change in philosophy and whether new boss Xabi Alonso might've influenced the decision. 

Plus, Mykhailo Mudryk returns to action following 20 months on the sidelines, and Chelsea receive their punishment for 74 FA charges relating to incidents under previous owner Roman Abramovich. 

Host: Adam Leventhal

Guests: Tim Spiers, Liam Tharme, Simon Johnson

...

David Ornstein is back with the latest from a busy transfer market, as champions Arsenal look to reinforce their squad with a couple of Brazilian superstars: Bruno Guimaraes and Vinicius Jr.

Adam Leventhal is joined in the studio by The Athletic’s Jay Harris and Art de Roche to break down how transformational those two signings would be for Mikel Arteta’s side.

Plus there’s the latest on moves for Rodri, Yan Diomande, Bradley Barcola, Mohamed Salah and Manchester United’s targets.

All of this, plus our latest Do Yau Know...

Adam Leventhal is joined by The Athletic’s Matt Slater, Adam Crafton, and James Horncastle to unpack a week that shook global football. The panel dissects how Gianni Infantino’s multi-billion-dollar plans to sell off stakes in FIFA tournaments fell apart, the scale of pushback, and whether this historic U-turn leaves Infantino’s presidency in serious jeopardy.

Plus, UEFA Vice-President Laura McAllister joins the show to offer an insider perspective on leading the opposition. As a pivotal voice in the call for a potential boycott, she breaks down the emergency meetings and what needs to happen next a...

As the World Cup packs up and leaves New York, we have one final show from the Big Apple as Paul Tenorio joins Adam Leventhal to look at the opportunity the popularity of this summer’s World Cup offers MLS.

We bring you insight from MLS Commissioner Don Garber on the league’s mission statement as they declare: “we’ll take it from here”. NYCFC CEO Brad Sims and multiple MLS Cup winning executive Garth Lagerwey share their views on how MLS can open up to the global transfer market.

Plus, US Soccer COO Dan He...

Live in New York for the final time, Adam Leventhal is joined by The Athletic’s David Ornstein and Adam Crafton to reflect on Spain's deserved victory in a disappointing World Cup final against 10-man Argentina.

With a month to go until the start of the Premier League season, David shares his insights ahead of what is expected to be a busy period in the transfer market.

Host: Adam Leventhal

With: David Ornstein and Adam Crafton

Executive Producer: Adey Moorhead

Producers: Jay Beale, Liam Warburton and Mike Sta...