The Athletic FC Podcast

Host Mark Chapman and The Athletic's football news reporter Matt Slater look into reports that clubs in Belgium have voted in favour of merging with the Dutch Eredivisie. We speak to Alex Muzio chairman of Belgian sleeping giant Royale Union Saint-Gilloise who last week sealed a return to the top flight.And this week sees the return of The Cheltenham Festival, the highlight of the British jump racing calendar, behind closed and under pressure to deliver for an industry hit by lost revenues due and negative publicity - former Jockey Club CEO Simon Bazalgette joins us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic’s Adam Crafton & our Sheffield United writer Richard Sutcliffe to tell us how Chris Wilder's dream job turned sour and shares his thoughts on what the future holds for the club & Wilder.Also on the pod, Arsenal writer James McNicholas drops in to explain the reasons why Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was dropped by Mikel Arteta yesterday.Right now you can subscribe to The Athletic for a special price of £3.99 a month for 6 months. That’s 40% off the full price of a subscriptionYou’ll enjoy great analysis and in-depth features from the very best football writers around, as well as ad free versions of all our podcasts.So go to theathletic.com/ornsteinandchapman to take advantage of this special 40% discount. That's www.theathletic.com/ornsteinandchapman Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Mark Chapman and The Athletic's football news reporter Matt Slater speak to Joey D’Urso Investigations Writer covering football for The Athletic about the collapse of The Football Index the so called “football stock market” that has seen users portfolios crash to almost nothing..And it’s football accounts season - Kieran Maguire from the Price of Football podcast joins us to run the numbers and pick out the talking points from the books of clubs including Manchester United.You can subscribe to The Athletic for a special price of £3.99 a month for 6 months. That’s 40% off the full price of a subscriptionYou’ll enjoy great analysis and in-depth features from the very best football writers around, as well as ad free versions of all our podcasts.So go to theathletic.com/ornsteinandchapman to take advantage of this special 40% discount. That's theathletic.com/ornsteinandchapman Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Adam Crafton & Jordan Campbell.David outlines the reasons that Manchester City will not be making a move for PSG striker Kylian Mbappe but Erling Haaland remains an option.Jordan shares the inside story of how how Steven Gerrard delivered the Premiership title for Rangers and what how he might look to cement his legacy at the club and beyond.Plus, in his weekly column for The Athletic Alan Shearer thinks the next round of international matches should be called off - is he right?Right now you can subscribe to The Athletic for a special price of £3.99 a month for 6 months. That’s 40% off the full price of a subscriptionYou’ll enjoy great analysis and in-depth features from the very best football writers around, as well as ad free versions of all our podcasts.So go to www.theathletic.com/ornsteinandchapman to take advantage of this special 40% discount. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Mark Chapman and The Athletic's football news reporter Matt Slater speak to Simon Hallett, owner of English League One side Plymouth Argyle football club and Chief Investment Officer at Harding Loevner, an investment boutique that manages more than $70 billion for individuals and institutions about how he finds the balances between running a football club like a business and a labour of love - as a life-long Plymouth fan. We hear about the business processes implemented in leading a football club at the intersection of economics, finance and psychology and data. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Adam Crafton & Tim Spiers.Hear the inside story of super agent Jorge Mendes' influence at Wolves, how he operates and how he took full advantage of uncertainty during the most recent transfer windows - much to the admiration of many within football.Plus, we look at the paradox of Brighton and Graham Potter and hear why his admired by decision makers at the FA.And after another weekend of tough weekend for match officials is it time they were given more chance to share the mechanics of the decision making as it happens at post-match to viewers at home? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Mark Chapman and The Athletic's football news reporter Matt Slater speak to Jacco Swart & Alberto Colombo, executives from European Super Leagues, the organisation that is working with the Premier League, Bundesliga and La Liga to lobby against the more radical proposals for European club competition reform.We hear about the conversations that are taking place to broker the ongoing power struggle between UEFA, European football's richest clubs and their domestic leagues. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Adam Crafton & Patrick Boyland.Coming up today David shares his latest information on Manchester United's purist of Jadon Sancho.Patrick gives the inside story of how Carlo Ancelotti masterminded Everton's historic win at Anfield and reveals Marcel Brands plans as Director of Football at the club.Plus, hear how Fantasy Premier League is becoming a growing issue for clubs after Aston Villa players removed Jack Grealish from their teams - accidentally leaking team news before facing Leicester in the process.Don’t forget until February 25th, new subscribers can get half price annual subscription to The Athletic ; that’s less than £1/week for an entire year.Just go to www.theathletic.com/ornsteinandchapman Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Mark Chapman and The Athletic is Football news reporter Matt Slater speak to Jonathan Walters, the former Premier League player who has applied to become the new CEO of the professional footballers union in England.They also speak to Andreas Krannich, from Sportradar, a company that works with sporting federations and leagues to fight the rise in match-fixing across a range of sports.The Champions League returns this week and there’s no better time to sign up for all our unrivalled coverage at The Athletic. Until February 25th, we’re offering new subscribers a half price annual subscription; that’s less than £1/week for an entire year.Just go to www.theathletic.com/ornsteinandchapman to sign up Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Mark Chapman is joined by The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Adam Crafton & Simon Hughes. Coming up today David’s will share exclusive detail on Jose Mourinho’s contract at Spurs.We also discuss Simon's recent column that asked fans to try and relate to what Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been going through as a person following the loss of his mother.We also reflect on Adam's incredible piece on Justin Fashanu, that details serious allegations about the former Norwich striker’s treatment in football, by the church & the media. The Champions League returns this week and there’s no better time to sign up for all our unrivalled coverage at The Athletic. Until February 25th, we’re offering new subscribers a half price annual subscription; that’s less than £1/week for an entire year.Just go to www,theathletic.com/ornsteinandchapman Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.