The Athletic FC Podcast

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.

Seb Stafford-Bloor joins the panel in-studio to dissect Spurs' latest loss before moving onto his interview with England captain Harry Kane for the latest 'My Game In My Words' feature on The Athletic. Plus, with transfer deadline day looming David Ornstein whets the appetite for what may be to come.

Host: Emma Paton
With: Rob Green, Cerys Jones and Seb Stafford-Bloor
Featuring: David Ornstein

Executive Producer: Guy Clarke
Producer: Lucy Oliva
Videographer: Liam Warburton
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 a manager, or never joined Barcelona.

What would happen to Lionel Messi, Man City, Erling Haaland and the Premier League in general?

Tune in to find out.

Host: Emma Paton
Guests: Tim Spiers, Jon Mackenzie
Executive Producer: Guy Clarke
Producers: Mike Stavrou, Grayson Moody
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 vs Ipswich Town & Coventry City vs Hull City, as well as picking out the clubs who have had a quietly good transfer window.

Host: Kate Mason
Guests: Adrian Clarke, Thom Harris
Executive Producer: Guy Clarke
Producers: Mike Stavrou, Liam Warburton
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 US owners within the Premier League.

Plus, with Premier League spending mainly focused within the division this summer, we explore the consequences on the wider European game.

Host: Kate Mason
With: Adam Crafton and Matt Slater
Featuring: Hannah Vanbiber

Executive Producer: Guy Clarke
Producer: Jay Beale
Videographer: Liam Warburton
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 of the season.

Host: Emma Paton
With: Jay Harris, Simon Hughes, Seb Stafford-Bloor

Executive Producer: Guy Clarke
Producer: Jay Beale
Videographer: Liam Warburton
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.