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.

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 interest in Julian Alvarez and answers your listener questions.

Plus, Chelsea correspondent Liam Twomey drops in to talk Chelsea's 3-2 win over Fulham on Monday night.

Host: Emma Paton

With: David Ornstein and James Horncastle

Featuring: Liam Twomey

Executive Producer: Guy Clarke

Producer: Mike Stavrou

Videographer: Grayson Moody

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

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 Tanswell also joins us to discuss Aston Villa's 4-0 loss at Brighton as well as addressing the uncertainty surrounding Ollie Watkins ahead of the close of the summer transfer window.

Host: Emma Paton

With: Jay Harris and Cerys Jones

Featuring: Laurie Whitwell and Jacob Tanswell

Executive Producer: Guy Clarke

Producer: Jay Beale

Videographer: Liam Warburton

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

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

With: Rob Green and Liam Tharme

Executive Producer: Adey Moorhead

Producer: Mike Stavrou

Videographer: Lara Sinclair

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

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 comes next for Mohamed Salah ahead of his home debut for Trabzonspor having moved on from Anfield.

Host: Kate Mason

With: Rob Green, Jack Pitt-Brooke and Matt Slater

Featuring: James Pearce and Nick Miller

Executive Producer: Adey Moorhead

Producers: Jay Beale and Guy Clarke

Videographer: Liam Warburton

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