Premier League review: Who has more questions than answers?

Summary

The Athletic FC Podcast: Premier League Review – Who Has More Questions Than Answers?

Date: October 10, 2025
Host: Matt Davis Adams (MDA)
Panel: Tim Spears (TS), Carl Anka (CA)
Summary by The Athletic FC

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Overview

This episode dives into the first seven gameweeks of the Premier League season, examining whether each of the 20 teams has managed to answer the biggest preseason questions—or if instead they’ve just raised more. With the international break pausing the action, Matt Davis Adams is joined by Tim Spears and Carl Anka to work their way down the league table, bringing data insight, tactical analysis, and the Athletic’s signature humor to their review.

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Main Discussion Points

Opening Thoughts (02:25–03:34)

• The panel acknowledges it's early ("you can't read anything into the season until game week 10" – MDA, 02:51), but argue this is still the perfect time for premature judgments and fun speculation.

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Top of the Table

Arsenal – Are They Ready to Lead? (03:34–05:34)

• On Arsenal’s Robustness:
  “The word that keeps coming to mind whenever I think about Arsenal is robust... Now’s the time to do it.”
  – CA (03:34)

• Arsenal have evolved from chasers to leaders. Arteta’s squad is seen as resilient and near “critical mass” in attack.

• The Jokeres signing is seen as pivotal:
  “His rampaging runs are great but then quite a lot of first touches like he’s wearing concrete boots... Arsenal’s title hopes probably rest on his shoulders.”
  – TS (04:46)

Liverpool – Transfer Window Winners or Over-Tinkered? (05:34–08:19)

• Liverpool revamped midfield, but perhaps to the detriment of defensive stability.
  “The biggest issue for me... is probably Konate, the defence. I think it’s probably a player they didn’t buy, that is Marc Guehi, which may be a defining factor in their season.”
  – TS (05:48)

• Panel agrees Liverpool's dip is marginal but meaningful (“2 to 3%... that’s the difference between drawing or conceding” – CA, 07:25).

Tottenham – A Sensible Transformation Under Thomas Frank (08:30–10:59)

• Massive leap from 17th to 3rd under Frank; not thrilling but effective.
• “Frank has come in and has introduced things like game plans for specific opposition, structure, rules... So yeah, can’t really knock it.”
  – TS (08:42)
• “The performances aren’t thrilling, but they’re getting points on the board. So you enter the classic Spurs conundrum"...
  – CA (10:12)

Bournemouth – Controlled Chaos and Overachievers (10:59–12:10)

• “They are thrilling to watch, especially when they play the top six clubs.”
  – CA (11:17)
• Asset stripping over summer, but Semenyo is highlighted as the standout.

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Mid-to-Upper Table

Manchester City – Transition or Regression? (15:26–17:27)

• Pep’s side has been inconsistent; reliance on Haaland continues.
• “The Rodri question still remains... I’m not sure they can win the title without him.”
  – TS (16:43)

Crystal Palace – Depth Is the Question (17:27–19:14)

• Small, cohesive group is a double-edged sword.
• “If you take two or three players out... they will weaken fairly considerably.”
  – TS (17:45)

Chelsea – Still an Enigma, Estevao the Exception (19:14–21:22)

• Unpredictable but enlivened by the “all-action” Estevao.
  – “Just the word fun springs to mind again... He’s top of the Premier League for expected assists per 90.”
  – TS (20:43)

Everton – Mid-Table At Last (21:22–23:42)

• “I just want Everton to be fine, not near relegation lurch.”
  – CA (21:54)
• Credit for David Moyes’ adaptability and creative football.

Sunderland – Seamless Integration, Serious Project (23:42–25:01)

• Liberri’s leadership, defence, and signal signing (Granit Xhaka) impress.
  – “The quality of their defence has impressed me.”
  – CA (24:01)
• Robin Roofs is lauded as an inspired keeper signing.

Betting Markets (26:03–28:47)

• Arsenal move to favorite for the title. Bournemouth biggest movers for top four.
• Forest’s relegation odds shorten dramatically.

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Middle and Lower Table

Manchester United – Stubborn, Unbalanced, Yet Hopeful (28:55–32:41)

• Amarim’s rigid 3-4-3 scrutinized:
  “You cannot be a top level manager if you’re not more adaptable than he is.”
  – TS (30:25)
• Debate on whether recruitment aligned with Amarim’s system.

Newcastle – Defensive Solidity Despite Star Losses (32:41–34:38)

• Altomada and the defense (especially Malik Tjore) praised.
• “That defense could be one of the best in the league.”
  – TS (34:26)

Brighton – Engine Keeps Running (34:38–36:16)

• “They are perfectly primed to finish somewhere between 8th and 12th and I think that’s where they want to be.”
  – CA (35:45)

Aston Villa – Uncertain, Uninspired Transfers (36:16–37:12)

• Poor summer window; unbeaten in seven but must prove themselves against stronger sides.

Fulham – The ‘Meh’ Team (37:12–37:54)

• Panel jokes about uninspiring squad and signings (“Your star signing was called Kevin”—MDA, 37:12).

Leeds – Promoted Club Stability (37:54–39:09)

• Anton Stach’s impact highlighted.
  – “He was that integral to everything that was good.”
  – CA (38:20)

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Lower Table

Brentford – Resilient Despite Departures (40:53–42:53)

• “Really impressed with Keith Andrews... a couple of unexpected good additions. Jordan Henderson certainly been one.”
  – TS (41:17)
• Internal planning and tactical continuity lauded.

Nottingham Forest – Fastest Unravelling? (42:53–45:45)

• Forest went from a feel-good story to “fallen apart like a Chinese motorcycle.”
  – CA (42:53)
• Criticism of new manager's lack of engagement and questionable tactical overhaul.

Burnley – Who Even Plays for Them? (45:45–46:28)

• Lighthearted quiz on naming Burnley players (“Very impressive. Didn’t even need to play your Leslie Good Chukwu card.” — MDA, 46:28).

West Ham – Potter Era Forgotten, Squad Lacks Pace (46:28–48:14)

• Nuno’s main task is survival. Team described as slow, old, with visible cracks.
  – “A lot of it feels like it’s just running on the fumes of that Conference League win.”
  – CA (47:41)

Wolves – Rock Bottom & Out of Ideas (48:14–49:32)

• Awful recruitment, replacement players underwhelming, only bright spot is Krechi.
  – “They’re fighting... but the quality is just visible to be honest. So yeah, it’s not great.”
  – TS (48:37)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Bournemouth:
  “They are thrilling to watch, especially when they play the top six clubs.” – CA (11:17)

• On Arsenal’s striker:
  “His rampaging runs are great but then quite a lot of first touches like he’s wearing concrete boots...” – TS (04:46)

• On Fulham:
  “Your star signing was called Kevin. I think that tells us all we need to know.” – MDA (37:12)

• On Forest:
  "Certainly feels like it. You're getting sacked in the morning from your own fans..." – CA (43:15)

• On Newcastle’s defense:
  “Malik Tjore looks absolutely outstanding... they are raving about him up there.” – TS (34:26)

• On West Ham:
  “The Graham Potter West Ham era will not be remembered fondly, by basically anyone.” – CA (46:44)

• On Wolves:
  “They’re fighting, I will give them that... but the quality is just visible.” – TS (48:37)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Arsenal & Liverpool Review: 03:34–08:19
• Tottenham & Bournemouth: 08:30–12:10
• Man City: 15:26–17:27
• Chelsea, Everton, Sunderland: 19:14–25:01
• Man United & Newcastle: 28:55–34:38
• Brighton & Villa: 34:38–37:12
• Lower Table Teams (Brentford to Wolves): 40:53–49:32

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Tone & Style

The episode balances sharp tactical insight with humor and candor. Panelists blend analytical chat ("expected assists per 90," "cohesive squad") and banter (Fulham’s creative inefficacy, the “Chinese motorcycle” gag about Forest). There’s a sense of friendly pessimism for underperformers, while top teams are analyzed in terms of both promise and vulnerability.

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Summary

This episode of the Athletic FC Podcast delivers a brisk, thorough, and entertaining review of the first quarter of the Premier League season. The hosts highlight shifting narratives, promising and worrying signs, and memorable moments for each club—with their trademark blend of in-depth analysis and good-natured ribbing. It’s a must-listen for fans who want both substance and levity—as well as a feel for which clubs now, in October, have more questions than answers.

Transcript

[Tim]

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[Carl]

Foreign.

[Matt Davis Adams]

Hello and welcome to the Athletic FC, where today we'll be assessing all 20 Premier League teams respective starts to the campaign, asking whether they've answered the big questions that surrounded them prior to the new season. Joining me today, we've got Tim Spears. How you doing Tim?

[Tim]

Hello. Very well.

[Matt Davis Adams]

Karl Anka's back with us as well. You okay, Carl?

[Carl]

I'm doing very well, thank you. How are you doing brother?

[Matt Davis Adams]

I'm okay, thanks.

[Carl]

Yeah.

[Matt Davis Adams]

Nice to have a little break from Premier League football if you support a team who aren't doing very well. Right, let's start by getting the caveats out of the way. We're aware that these conclusions will of course be premature and as the Athletics data writer Mark Gehry has told us many times before, you can't read anything into the season until game week 10. But where's the fun in that? And how else do you expect us to fill a show during yet another international break? We are going to be working our way down the Premier League table. So it's in North London where we're going to start and Karl Mikel Arteta's Arsenal top of the league at the start of the season, most of the talk was about whether they could turn three consecutive second place finishes into a Premier League title. How do you think they're going to cope now that the pressure is different? They're leading from the front. They're not the chasers.

[Carl]

I think they'll be okay. The word that keeps coming to mind whenever I think about Arsenal is robust. Mikel Arteta's built a squad now that's got a near critical mass of attacking talent, defensively resilient in a way that normally yields big silverware. So if they're going to win a Premier League, now's the time to do it. I think I've been forecasting them to win one of the next three. At least now is an opportune time. Liverpool are betting in a bunch of new players. Manchester City aren't going to be this week again for a little bit. So get your licks in while you still can win this thing. And if you don't, well I'm sure there's going to be loads of non Arsenal fans texting you in the aftermath of another second place finish. So get it done now. This is a good chance.

[Matt Davis Adams]

One of the things that they've done to try and make sure they get it done, Tim, is to sign a striker who is supposedly going to guarantee them goals. A lot of our conversation on this show this season has been about Victor Joker as we're kind of using your ranking of the 155 Premier League transfers as the prism through which we are viewing these respective Premier League starts. You've re ranked them in terms of their impact so far. How's Jokers got on?

[Tim]

He was 31st, which I think is probably quite generous. Actually quite a lot of people have got in touch to say that certain players are too low. But he's the only one where people said he's a Bit high. It's been a real mixed bag. You know, when you watch him, he's very fun. His sort of rampaging runs are great but then quite a lot of first touches like he's wearing concrete boots and the whole kind of. His teammates need to get used to him. They need to learn what direction he's running in. That's fine for a few games but that doesn't last for very long. You know, these are world class footballers. You know, they know how to work these things out pretty quickly. Yeah, I like him a lot. He's fun, he's different. Arsenal's title hopes probably rests on his shoulders, I think because like Carl says, you know, the defence is there. It's the best defense in the league. It's much stronger than Liverpool's this season. So the key is how many goals they're going to score and they haven't had a 20 goal a season striker since Aubameyang. So if he's the one, it gives their title prospects a huge boost as they say.

[Matt Davis Adams]

All right, well a point back from Arsenal are Liverpool. While we're talking transfers, many people thinking that they won the window. But I just wonder, Tim, if maybe they've tried to improve a team in an area specifically midfield that actually didn't need improving.

[Tim]

Yeah, I mean they did need to sign quite a few players I think. You know, when you look at obviously Trent Alexander, Arnold leaving and hence B. Frimpong and Andy Robertson really slipped behind below his sort of previous levels last season. I thought the general consensus was age 31, he may be nearing the end at the top, top level. And nobody quibbled about Kirk as being a good signing. Obviously Luis Diaz left which he seemed keen to do and Nunes left which seemed like the best thing all around. And then obviously you got the, you know, the utterly tragic passing of Diego Jota. So Wirtz is the biggest change in terms of an incoming because he's meant a tweak to the system and the style and it's not quite worked yet and he's not getting on the ball anywhere near as often as he was last season. The biggest issue for me with Liverpool is probably Konate the defence and for all the kind of oh, have they bought too many players? I think it's probably a player they didn't buy. That is Mark Gay, which may be a bit of a defining factor in their season. I didn't really get that one. They were quite happy to spend 300 million on various other players. Mark Gay is clearly worth 40 million. If that was roughly the asking price from Crystal Palace, Liverpool should probably just have paid it. I think. I think you can see that as an error already. Canate is in really bad form. He's gaffe prone. And they also risk not getting gay next summer now because everybody will be in for him and he can sign for who he wants. So that was. That's a bit of a weird one which may. May just cost Liverpool because the defense clear the weak link.

[Matt Davis Adams]

Carl, you're nodding in agreement. It's not just Konate though, is it?

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[Matt Davis Adams]

I mean if your captain is becoming a meme, that's not usually a good thing. You think they should have just got the gay deal off over the line and they'd be in a much better position.

[Carl]

I mean it's a bit harsh there because the deal was for all intents and purposes done until 11th hour intervention. Not even 11th hour intervention. You know, 11th hour. 35 minutes. I was speaking to Mark Carey about Liverpool in general. His sort of perspective was this is just a bit of a stormwater teacup. Everything should be okay. And right now the easiest way for Liverpool to get back on track is to go closer to how they were playing last season. Probably leave Verts on the bench for a little bit and just go back to that original midfield and then hopefully Mac Allister can find some of his good form because MacAllister is another Liverpool player who hasn't started the season. Liverpool will be fine and they'll be there or thereabouts for very understandable reasons. They're maybe taking a 2 to 3% dip from where they were last season and in the Premier League. 2 to 3%. That's the difference between drawing or conceding at the very last minute.

[Matt Davis Adams]

Means they're a point behind Arsenal. Very, very tight at the top of the Premier League there. In fact, there's only six points between the leaders and the team in 10th. We're going to go to third next. And that is Tottenham Hotspur.

[James Mackey]

Tim.

[Matt Davis Adams]

It's a club that you know pretty well. One of the big questions around then was how Thomas Frank would adapt to life at a bigger club. What's the verdict on him so far? He had that hell of a curveball, didn't he, with Daniel Levy's departure?

[Tim]

Yeah, he did. They've sort of gone under the radar a little bit. Really? I think to go from 17th to third. Obviously it's very early days but you know, we are here to judge. It's pretty impressive. Like maybe it's the way that they've done it sort of not. They're not really sort of swatting teams aside that easily. They've had a couple of iffy results, but I don't know. It's a huge leap from Brentford to Spurs. You know, the size of the club and the scrutiny and the pressure and the expectations. But, you know, with this. I was covering spurs at the time of ange Postecoglou's first 10 matches and he oversaw Tottenham's best ever Premier League start, 26 points. And then it was relegation form for 20 months. So I think sort of wary of not getting carried away. Postecogli made a flying start for many reasons, but one of them was because he sort of freed spurs up from the Conte shackles that have been put on and to a lesser extent, the Harry Kane sort of shackles, because they all just sort of passed to him basically. And I think they enjoyed the freedom of him not being there and now it's sort of gone the other way. Whereas Frank has come in and has introduced things like game plans for specific opposition structure, rules. Yeah, a little bit of working on set pieces and, you know, he's adaptable with his tactics and his different systems. Players and fans are absolutely loving that. It's pretty basic stuff. So that's the sort of opposite which Forest might be experiencing in the next few months, Matt. But you would say, look, when Xavi Simmons gets going, which I think he probably will, and Solanke and Colin Moane and Madison and Kulasevsky come back, there's more to come from this team. I think that's the general consensus from the fans there as well. So, yeah, can't really knock it.

[Carl]

It feels as if there's a top three. So people predicting who's going to win the title at the start of the season, we're going Arsenal, Liverpool, Man, City. And now you've got a collection of best of the rest, maybe five, six clubs trying to fill in the final two Champions League places. I think spurs put a good foot forward at a time where Aston Villa and two or three other clubs have either hit the handbrake or gone in reverse. So they're doing okay. The performances aren't thrilling, but they're getting points on the board. So you entered the classic spurs conundrum in that. Will the performances get better and eventually justify the points you're earning, or will the points start dropping and match these iffy performances so far.

[Matt Davis Adams]

Right, Carl, you've got the fun job here, I think, because you get to talk about Bournemouth, they find Themselves fourth in the Premier League table despite the asset stripping over the summer. It's fun to talk about them, but I'm going to make it more difficult for you because you cannot say anything about Anthony Iriola's future and where he might end up next season.

[Carl]

Oh, fantastic. They're loads of fun. One thing we talk about, asset stripping. The various people who bought Bournemouth players were very courteous and allowed Bournemouth to keep their best player. So Semeno's still there. He's got, let's call it the Saudio mane. Southampton glow. When a player is really, really good outside the top six and you're going, ooh, he should be playing in the Champions League very, very soon. So that's loads of fun. And Iriola, you can call it control chaos. They are high pressing team, energetic team, and they're very, very good at disrupting some of the bigger clubs so they don't get into a groove. That game against Liverpool right at the start of season was phenomenal doing to Liverpool what Liverpool very often do to their opponents. I'm not sure if Bournemouth necessarily have the squad depth because they've had to sell quite a few players, but yeah, I reckon there is a Europa Conference League option on the table for them. They are thrilling to watch, especially when they play the top six clubs.

[Matt Davis Adams]

Yeah, Semenya. Fantastic. A proper success story of coming through the divisions as well as what, seven years ago he was scoring for Newport county against Stevenage and look at him now. All right, that was the top four. We'll go through here. The contenders next.

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[Matt Davis Adams]

Is the Athletic FC podcast proudly sponsored by Betfair and Carl. In fifth place we find Manchester City. It's a new look side pretty up and down so far. Four wins a draw, two defeats. You mentioned them as one of the three that people had as title contenders. They're unbeaten in four after those early jitters. And are you expecting them to make A proper run at it this time then?

[Carl]

Yep, absolutely. Perhaps not the typical in title winning seasons for Manchester City, there was always that horrible, ominous feeling that they'll be in second or third place and you go, when are they going to have the 12 game winning streak? When are they going to put on the afterburners and do that? And I think it was interesting last season that they couldn't or couldn't hit it for the distance they have typically done. They were playing a little bit more direct. Getting the ball to Haaland, which hey, fun to watch if you're a neutral and also giving the ball to the big Norwegian striker who has seemingly no flaws, is always a good plan. Good squad doing a rebuild. Pep Guardiola is going to figure it out after the World cup and then when he does, we all need to have had our contingency plans because it's going to be very unpleasant.

[Matt Davis Adams]

They've got an interesting run of fixtures coming up, I think, Tim. They've got Everton Villa, Bournemouth, Liverpool and Newcastle. So I always like saying we'll find out a bit more about them after that run. I mean we'll. We'll find out a bit more about them after that run.

[Tim]

We'll find out a bit more about them after that run. The Rodri question still remains, really. You know, you see that Brentford game, it was very unman City like, you know, after he'd gone off. They can't seem to control their way to a win anymore. Like Carl says, it's a bit more fun, it's a bit more chaotic, it's a bit more direct. I don't know if this is just Guardiola's way of getting through this period while there's a bit of a cycle and a transition with his team or if this is just how he plays football now. But it's really interesting to watch and they're more interesting to watch as a. As a result. And I do think there's quite a bit more to come from several of their summer signings. I mean, Shirky obviously is injured at the moment. Ait Nori's been out for a little bit as well. But yeah, the Rodri question still remains for me. I'm not sure they can win the title without him.

[Matt Davis Adams]

What about Crystal palace then, Tim? Everybody likes Crystal palace, don't they? Apart from Brighton and Millwall, I suppose. Big question about them is the lack of depth, I think. Did we maybe see that writ large across that defeat against Everton just before the break where they couldn't hold on and it was a couple of days after they'd been in European action. Or am I making too od obvious a connection there?

[Tim]

Yeah, yeah, maybe. I mean, so having a tight group is, is fine and it actually has a lot of benefits, you know, in terms of. I don't like keep picking on Forest, but you see the opposite.

[Matt Davis Adams]

We don't have to, no, but I.

[Tim]

Know what's coming when we get to 20th so I'm just getting out of the way. But you know, they've got so many new sign ins and what's the system and what's the plan and whereas palace, you know exactly what you're going to get and in terms of team cohesion and consistency, hence this, the beaten run which they had. The problem is it relies on a great injury record. I remember when Wolves got into Europe with Nuno having finished seventh and then barely signed anyone in the summer and I couldn't believe it really, but he just insisted on having a small squad and it worked. They finished seventh again and got to the Europa League court finals. Sort of similar to what palace will be looking to do now, I guess. But they had an outstanding injury record, they worked a lot on injury prevention and palace will need to do the same, I guess, because if you take two or three players at that side, Wharton or the wing backs or Gay obviously, or Sar or Martetta, I don't know, they will weaken fairly considerably. But they also, you know, they don't, they don't need to have much possession. They're fine in a low block, which sort of helps when you're playing a lot of matches in quick succession. And yeah, it's Palace Bournemouth after the international break. Safe to say that'll be the most hyped Palace Bournemouth match in the history of that fixture. There have been 81 meetings so far. I can't remember any of them. Both of them last season were nil. Nil. So maybe we should stay calm on that one. But yeah, I'm looking forward to it. I hope it's on tv.

[Matt Davis Adams]

Glenn Murray Classico, that one. Of course, Carl, you've got Chelsea. They've also got a good looking run of Premier League games coming up. Forest, Sunderland, Spurs, Wolves and Burnley, all winnable. Which leads me to ask the obvious question, what of your own brand would you like to trademark a la Cold Palmer? I'm thinking kind of either you're a hoy hoy at the start of a totally football show or just turtlenecks, which you'll be wearing this time of year. I would imagine you Know what I'd.

[Carl]

Go for the bad Premier League predictions at the start every season. I asked everyone for their most baseless gut feeling of the Premier League and I will say start this season. I saw a lot of companies, and I mean a lot of companies put on their own spin on it. So yeah, I might have to get my lawyers involved soon.

[Tim]

Oh, you should do. You should do your rookie thing, Carl. I like that.

[Carl]

Oh, yeah. And the rookie of the year, I just. Matt Cold Palmer for a man named Cole Palmer, I just don't think it's that great a nickname. He's a phenomenal football player and it's a shame he's injured, but I think.

[Matt Davis Adams]

You know, he's very cold on penalties, et cetera. It's fine. It's the extension of the branding that I struggle with. Cold bath salts. That's not going to help anybody. They're not going to be affected. You need hot water for bath salts. You ever thought of that? Just hasn't done their job properly. Yeah, I don't mind it, to be honest. We don't really know where Chelsea are going to finish. It's quite hard to get any kind of handle on them, Tim, but somebody has thrilled us. Is Esteb out a non mover in your charts, but I was pretty moved by him a week ago. He must have been impressed with what we've seen of him so far.

[Tim]

Yeah, just. Just the word fun springs to mind again. You know, this guy's just all action. Outrageous. I didn't realize how good his numbers were. I was looking up his, his figures for that piece. He's top of the Premier League for expected assists per 90. He's 8th for expected goals per 90, 8th for take ons. But obviously, yeah, he's not. He's not about numbers. You just want to sit and watch him. It's an interesting one with Chelsea's wingers. They just seem to come and go very frequently and Neto has been really disappointing. But still, still got the shirt every week. But yeah, Esteval would be one. I'll be starting on the right every time. I think you're very lucky, Matt, to get to see him week in, week out in person. It must be. Must be pretty exciting to watch.

[Matt Davis Adams]

Yeah. Love his chant as well. Estebao. I like it. Whoever came up with that one, very good. Deserves some props. Everton, Carl. They're a team I struggle to generate much feeling about one way or the other because they're always just kind of there, aren't they? I think there was a theory that moving away from Goodison park might be costly for them in the same way it was for, say, West Ham when they moved stadiums. But they're unbeaten at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Have you been impressed with them or does that win against palace kind of gloss over what's actually been a pretty average start?

[Carl]

Yes, I know, in that I have been impressed with them because the thing I want from Everton now is mid table mediocrity. I just want Everton to be fine, not near relegation lurch. I think there are two or three essential ingredients for a Premier League season. Everton need to be in there. Arsenal need to have a collection of handsome football players. Chelsea need to just manifest the attacking player out of nowhere. I'm like, who are you? And so on and so on and so forth. So Everton being just like solidly average and there is great. I think they recruited really, really well. They were my pick for quote unquote, winning the transfer wind. I think Jack Grealish inspired loan signing. If I'm to put my accountant hat on, I'm not making that loan deal permanent. And yeah, they're cracking on a little bit. Worried about Thurno Barry. I thought he'd be more Premier League ready, but on the whole, this is, this is a fairly decent time to be an Everton fan, which you couldn't say a couple seasons ago. So we'll take, we'll take this. I'm not an Everton fan. That's good things to take, I think.

[Tim]

I think just what you have to say about Everton is the progression in terms of, you know, they're less direct, they're more more creative, they're more front foot. You've got, you've got to give so much credit to Moyes. You know, the guy is far more sort of malleable and forward thinking than he gets, than he gets credit for.

[Matt Davis Adams]

He's such a good manager, isn't he? And there's like 20 odd years of evidence of this and everybody still goes back to Man United, which was ages ago, and, you know, insert your own Man United line.

[Tim]

Yeah. And like, and West Ham, where he had to, you know, stick him on the back foot a bit to keep him in the Premier League for a season or two. It's just, it's really, it's an unfair sort of characterization. But he's, he's proven, proven people wrong. And yeah, I agree, I agree with Carl. It's nice to see them safe for once because they can't rely on the Goodison Park Raw to keep them up this year. So, yeah, they're doing great.

[Matt Davis Adams]

Carl sunderland. Sunderland, a ninth in the Premier League table. They spent well over 100 million quid. Signed dozens and dozens of players. You're not supposed to be able to integrate them so seamlessly. Least of all when you come up as the playoff winner who has less time to get ready than everybody else. With a manager who's never managed in the Premier League before, how on earth is this happening?

[Carl]

The manager who's constantly talking about connections and solutions in his press conferences, I think is important. He, Liberri is a problem solver and I think the quality of their defence has impressed me. I know there's more than one Premier League manager who's going to be screaming Ballard between now and the end of the season, but they've recruited very well after that playoff victory. Recruited very well in defence. Granit Xhaka. Choosing the Sunderland project I think really helped as well in terms of not only have you got a very good player in Xhaka, but also you've signaled to the rest of Europe that you're being serious, which probably aided further recruitment there. So Sunderland good. Enjoyable. I will be seated for the derby against Newcastle.

[Matt Davis Adams]

One part of their recruitment, who Carl didn't mention there, Tim has climbed up 86 places in your player rankings. He's got a great name. He comes from the Netherlands and he plays in goal. Yeah.

[Tim]

Robin Roofs, he has got a great name. Yeah. I think him, Jordan Henderson and Sean Longstaff were like the biggest risers. Kind of three players you didn't expect much from, really, who've all made excellent starts and big impacts. Yeah, roofs was around 10 million. Just a classic new Sunderland signing. I think they should be called New Sunderland because they're better. It's like New Labour. They're very. They're not the Sunderland we remember, you know, and they sort of. The classic Sunderland signing is a young player. I think Russ is around 22, who has got a decent amount of experience in a decent European league and they've got him for decent money and just come in and hit the ground running. There are several examples in their squad that have done that. Yeah, he's made some. I think he's top of the post, shot expected goals table or thereabouts and made some exceptional saves, including the penalty. And what you say about promoted sides is they've always got a leaky defence, but Sunderland haven't. Aldarete at the back and ruf's behind. They've got a pretty solid looking defence. This is the Athletic FC podcast, proudly sponsored by Becoming Betfair.

[Matt Davis Adams]

Well, this is the part of the show where with the help of our partners Betfair, we show you how you can play in a different league this season. James Mackey's with me. James, you're a Liverpool fan. You must be enjoying this break from club football therefore.

[James Mackey]

Oh Matt, I've never wanted an international break to come as much as this October international break because the wheels have well and truly fell off for my side Liverpool at the moment and slot, well he's got two weeks to to try and sort it out as an even in this off period.

[Matt Davis Adams]

This might be quite triggering for you then. We're going to run through a couple of markets as they look now in terms of the season as a whole. I'm afraid we will have to start with title winners. I suspect it might not be your lot anymore.

[James Mackey]

No, you're absolutely bang on Matt. And it'll be no surprise to hear that Arsenal are now the favorites to win the league. Having been second favourites behind Liverpool at the start of the season at 94 they're now into 10 11. So odds on off the back of being top after seven games, Liverpool have now drifted to 11 to four. From seven to four favourites off the back of of two consecutive defeats in the league. Three in total if you include the Champions League one and the other chases in the pack being city they're now 4 to 1 from 7 to 2. And Chelsea, they're also drifters being 152 before ball was kicked and now as big as 21.

[Matt Davis Adams]

All right, well Arsenal, Liverpool occupying the top two places at the moment. If we look at the the race for the top four, I don't think many of us had spurs and Bournemouth in there as they currently are. What's, what's the market for that looking like?

[James Mackey]

No, you're right the race for the top four. Even after seven games there's been such a wide range of movement on the Betfair sportsbook you'd like to think Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City have the three spaces at the top sewn up. Chelsea are the even money favorites to take that elusive four spot with. The big move is actually been spurs having been 51 before the season but are now into 11 4. Newcastle have slightly drifted from 31 out to 4 to 1 along with Man United who they were priced at 3 to 1 and they've only drifted out to 5 to 1 which still looks extremely short to me. As you mentioned Bournemouth, they've attracted some money since the start of the season in this market having been as big as 33.1and are now into 7 to 1. So Bournemouth, the big moves in the top four market after their brilliant start.

[Matt Davis Adams]

All right, I've taken the mickey out of you. You might be able to get your revenge now because I'm a Forest fan. So tell me how the relegation markets are looking.

[James Mackey]

Yeah, well, I'm glad I get to have this opportunity, Matt, to do that. The fight down the bottom of the table is another one that's in plenty of movement. Like Sunderland. They're now out to 6 4, having been odds on at 13 after a brilliant start to live back in the Premier League. Burnley still very short of 3 to 10 from 1 to 4. But the likes of West Ham and Wolves are seriously in trouble. The irons now being 64 from 51 pre season and Wolves are now into 815 from 4 to 1 before a ball was kicked. But like you mentioned, Forest, they're the big ones, they're the big movers. Eight to one they were at the start of the season to go down now into 11 4. So, Ange, he's got a big job if he's still there to turn it around, doesn't he?

[Matt Davis Adams]

Less said about that the better, I think. Appreciate your time as ever, James.

[Tim]

This is the Athletic FC podcast, proudly sponsored by Betvere.

[Matt Davis Adams]

Right, Carl. Manchester United are a top half concern in the Premier League. You must be giddy with glee. There's only another two years before Reuben Amram gets it right, according to Jim Ratcliffe. Yeah. What's your verdict so far?

[Carl]

Yeah, in that I'm trying not to panic too much. Although I have failed after two, two or three defeats and succumbed to the crisis chaos vortex. On the whole, Ruben Amir is playing football in a very similar manner to how they played for the majority of last season. So he doesn't deviate too much from that. 3, 4, 3. That then switches into a 5, 2, 3. When they're defending, they have many defensive players on the field. At the same time, they're not great at defending. And apologies for the upward inflection there. It's adequate and I think Manchester United will be better than what they were last season. But I still can't discern if that's because they're not doing the same thing they did last season, but with quote unquote, better players. Or if Reuben Amari is developed as a coach, it seems there is absolutely no appetite for him to lose his job. And victory over Sunderland before the international break means the crisis baton. Is that another top six club? So we'll See this is the calm bit for Manchester United fans where you can tell yourself the team is good because they haven't played for more than seven days.

[Matt Davis Adams]

Tim, are you of the mind that it's still quite amusing, this whole Amarim trying to desperately talk himself out of a stuff or is it getting a bit tedious now?

[Tim]

I'm exasperated to be honest. Yeah, I think, you know, home wins over sort of Burnley and Sunderland change nothing really and sort of just delaying the inevitable. It's pretty simple for me. The guys three, four, three or nothing or slight variations. I was. Carl says that's fine. But who have they bought to fit that system in the summer? I just don't get it. They spent their almost their entire budget on forwards. They needed to bring in wing backs and maybe a center back and definitely central midfielders. I just do not understand the logic in that at all. So Amarin will probably lose his job because he's too stubborn. The system doesn't fit the players he has. You cannot be a top level manager if you're not more adaptable than he is, I think. But Man United knew that when they hired him, so why haven't they given him the players to make it work?

[Carl]

To give him credit, he did make some changes out of possession against Sunderland. So Mountain and Buma were playing a lot closer to Sesko and I think that gave some more solidity there. And the fact that Libris changed to a back three before halftime was a. Ah, you're blinking. That's interesting there. So Amaran very clearly believes the way he wants to play when perfected is almost a chameleon system because from the 3, 43 you can then turn into a 4, 42 when you need to and then turn into a 433 or turn into a 532 when you want to. And that's, that's the fun when it's mastered. The problem is, if you're a doubting Thomas, is when is it going to be mastered and is this worth. Is this juice worth the squeeze? Everyone above him at Manchester United? Absolutely believe so. I do share some of your hesitation over the activity done over the summer. I went, oh, wow, that's a lot of forwards you're getting in there. But it very much seems like United's recruitment team looked at those difference between goal scores and expected goals and went, yeah, the best way to get more goals on the table is to get better strikers or better attacking players rather than should we work on defense and buying more midfielders to help create more in general, yeah. Different methodology. Probably not the methodology you Tim would have gone for or I would have gone for. But I think now I've been covering United five seasons, there's loads of times where I go this makes sense to me. Not because it makes sense to me but because now I've like short circuited my brain to understand the Manchester United hierarchy way of thinking.

[Tim]

That's dangerous.

[Matt Davis Adams]

We got through that whole thing without saying Manchester United Football Club. Well done chaps. I don't think many of us had them above Newcastle at this stage of the season. Just a point better off. Alexander Isaac's future of course dominated all the pre season chat. Difficult to replace a player of that caliber, Tim. But maybe not impossible given the start that Nick Voltamada has made. He's a big mover in your chart. He scored what might be the coolest looking penalty since Chloe Kelly against Forest the other week. Maybe maybe losing Isaac's not going to be such a massive deal. They've looked more like themselves in recent weeks.

[Tim]

I think it's in my top five penalties of which a couple more spring tomorrow be Harry Maguire in the Euros final. Kevin Pressman Yes, I knew you'd know that Matt. Kevin Pressman Chef wins against Wolves in 1995. YouTube it please. If you haven't seen it. As Andy Gray says in the commentary.

[Carl]

You could have two goalkeepers in there.

[Ad]

They would have trouble saving that.

[Tim]

Incredible. Yeah. No, Newcastle. Newcastle. I don't think they're far off. Yeah, they're 11th but if you look at the three games they've lost this season they were to Liverpool in the 100th minute, Arsenal in the 96th minute and then Barcelona in the Champions League when Rashford had his sort of special night. Otherwise it's seven matches, no defeats, one goal conceded which was to Bradford in the EFL cup when they played a reserve team. So yeah, Altomada's settled in great and looks sort of uniquely brilliant. But it's the defense which is certainly. Malik Tjore looks absolutely outstanding. They are raving about him up there and he was sort of brought in as the long term replacement for Fabian Cher but he sort of displaced him already. And him and Botman, you know, injuries permitting look like a really commanding classy centre back pairing. I've seen them compared to Rolls Royces and Bentley's individually already.

[Matt Davis Adams]

Yeah.

[Tim]

So they need to figure out who's who's who out of that. And also their bench looks a lot stronger looking at the players they brought off the bench the other day which is Obviously they're going to need in Europe, but that defense could be one of the best in the league. Certainly got a good record so far.

[Matt Davis Adams]

Still got wizard to come in at some point as well. In 12th place, we find Brighton and Hove Albion. Everybody always forgets the Hove Carl Seagulls. Rare go under the radar. They're so noisy and brazen. After all. Have Fabian's folk had due deference, I wonder. They've already beaten Man City and Chelsea this season.

[Carl]

They're doing good. They're doing well. They're doing well. I think Minter has continued to develop and kick on. I'm sure someone from Chelsea is going, what's this? Why haven't I bought this yet with him? Because he's very capable of the level. Danny Wilbert continues to be a fantastic steward of the game. It's amazing. He's gone from wonderkid to wonder unk.

[Matt Davis Adams]

The most university like footballer in the Premier League, Danny Welbeck.

[Carl]

He's up there. He's up there for me. Clive.

[Tim]

Tim Milner.

[Matt Davis Adams]

I just think of Milner. I mean both Brighton and this is what Brighton are good at, right? They bring through a load of sort of mainly South American teenagers, let them ripen for a couple of years, but they don't do a Chelsea and say you're going to play with a bunch of other children. They get a couple of old heads around them as well. Your Welbecks, your Lalanas, your Milners and Pascal Gross before that. And then you actually learn something thing. It seems quite logical.

[Carl]

Yeah, they. They are perfectly primed to finish somewhere between 8th and 12th and I think that's where they want to be. Big question marks over Carlos Blaba, who I heard has already admitted the links to Manchester United might have affected his form. To which I said on talk of Devils the other day, if just being linked to Manchester United is affecting your form, I have questions about your mental fortitude and resilience if you do indeed become a Manchester United player one day soon. So they're going to be fine. They're fun to watch. It's nice.

[Matt Davis Adams]

Will you say that about Aston Villa, Tim Ended last season really well. Started this one really horribly. Didn't score a Premier League goal in their first five games. Have they got worse or did they get worse and now they got better again?

[Tim]

The squad's probably got worse when you look at some of the players they'd lost from last season and thought their summer was really poor. Obviously massively sort of hamstrung by the financial situation. But a couple of slightly desperate late moves. You know, Victor Lindoff on a free wouldn't have been the one that they'd been sort of looking to bring in. All Summ. Then Jadon Sancho on loan. I just don't understand at all. And issues with Harvey Elliott not obeying tactical instructions apparently. So we haven't really seen too much of him certainly in terms of starts either. But yeah, sort of like Newcastle, really. Their form isn't as bad as you might think. Since that horror show against palace when they lost 3 0. They're actually unbeaten in seven. They've not had the worst run of fixtures to be fair, but you know, they needed it. They've got spurs and City coming up after the international break. So that'll. I think that'll tell us where they're at because I'm still not quite sure where they're making. Yeah.

[Matt Davis Adams]

Apologies to Fulham fans, but we labeled you the most meh team in the league last season. We're not even going to talk about you this time around. You're in 14th. Your star signing was called Kevin. I think that tells us all we need to know. Hey.

[Tim]

Wow.

[Carl]

He's good.

[Tim]

He's really good.

[Matt Davis Adams]

I'm sure he's good. But it's not a name as in an actual name that is going to inspire you much, is it? Kevin, I mean. Oh, he signed a Brazilian. Wonderkid. What's his name? His name's Kevin. Is he playing? Nah, not really. He's coming off the bench every so often. What's Marco Silva so angry about? Dunno.

[Tim]

He's going to be great for Home Alone memes. I'm starting. I still haven't seen many yet, but.

[Carl]

I've got that Josh King is. Josh King is looking good too. I think. Nick Miller has also said this about how it shouldn't be this confusing. There's another Premier League player called Josh King. And yet it is.

[Matt Davis Adams]

All right, there you go. Fulham. You've got a bit more time than I thought we would. What about Leeds United, Karl? They won the Championship last season. I think probably most people thought that they were best placed to the three promoted clubs, but I think there was a lot of people, me included as well, who thought that Daniel Farker might be the first manager to lose his job. Where are they at? And it's presumably just about finishing 17th. If you can get a little bit higher, great. But you know they're not going to be doing a Sunderland by the looks of it.

[Carl]

No, it doesn't look like they're going to be doing a Sunderland, but they're question marks over Leeds for me in that they, they've started well enough and you're hoping if you're a loser fan they can maintain this level. There's just like a little strain. So a lot of their movements where you're wondering is the other shoe going to drop? Is, is there a bad result in the post and a downward spiral happen? One of my favorite descriptions of Sean Longstaff was a Newcastle fan to Radio 5 light who called him the Onion in the Bolognese. He was that integral to everything that was good. So that's always stuck with me. And it's quite fun to have Anton Statch in the Premier League because he's, he's a player that's come up multiple times. When I've talked to our data team, we're like, oh, could we find any midfielders for Manchester United? And this Anton Stach fella comes up well, statistically, so I'm enjoying giving him a look.

[Matt Davis Adams]

All right, that's a really useful analogy for me because I made a big Bolognese yesterday for my son and he always gets them when it's got onion in it. But I'll tell him it is simply Sean Longstaff and that will befuddle him because he doesn't know who Shaun Longstaff is.

[Carl]

There are so many ways to save.

[Tim]

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[Carl]

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[Matt Davis Adams]

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[Carl]

All right, remember, the machine knows if you're lying. First statement, Carvana will give you a real offer on your car.

[James Mackey]

All online.

[Carl]

False. True. Actually, you can sell your car in minutes.

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False.

[Tim]

That's gotta be true again.

[Carl]

Carvana will pick up your car from your door or you can Drop it off at one of their car vending machines.

[Ad]

Sounds too good to be true. So true.

[Carl]

Finally caught on. Nice job. Honesty isn't just their policy, it's their entire model. Sell your car today too, Carvana. Pickup fees may apply.

[Matt Davis Adams]

This is the Athletic FC podcast, proudly.

[Tim]

Sponsored by BETF Fair.

[Matt Davis Adams]

Right, in 16th place, we find Brentford. How are they getting on, do you think, Tim? They don't have Thomas Frank, they don't have Brian and Burma. They don't have Christian Norgaard anymore. And when they conceded a goal from a set piece five minutes into their first game against Forest, he thought, huh, maybe hiring the set piece coach wasn't the best move. But they've done all right, haven't they, since then?

[Tim]

Yeah, really impressed with Keith Andrews and sort of how. How sort of assured he looks, really. You know, he doesn't. He's not. He's no rabbit in the headlights, you know, considering this is his by far and away the sort of biggest job of his career so far. And yeah, a couple of unexpected good additions. Jordan Henderson certainly been one of them. Massively surpassed my expectations and the expectations of others. You know, after a couple of years away from the Premier League, you wonder if he's still got the legs, has he still got the drive? I think he's answered both those questions already, really. And a couple of really nice assists with sort of long range passes. He's been good. Kayarde looks very good at right back. He could be a bit of a sort of a Kirkez maybe this season. I think with the impact he has, people look at his long throws which are incredible. Sort of cannonball like. But he's very athletic and quick and dynamic as a right back as well. Yeah, and they've got goals coming from sort of all angles, so pretty impressive. I had them down for bottom three at the start of the season, but it's looking like they're going to be looking a little bit higher than that at the moment.

[Carl]

Yeah, they were interested. One and quite a few non Brentford fans were concerned about how many players and staff had left. And yet when a Brentford fan finally he did manage to barge past the cut through the white noise, they go, no, we're fine. We've got an internal plan here. Stop predicting Sha Dyche to take over in emergency parachuters. We're going to crack on and yeah, decent results all round. We know how Brentford play. They know how Brentford play. And yet it's still proving effective enough in the big moments for them to get points on the board. So I'll be surprised if they end up in relegation trouble because they seem to be ticking on a fairly good clip.

[Matt Davis Adams]

All right, just a place above 17th Nottingham Forest, but a massive contrast in mood between Brentford and Forest. Carl, you and I are both big Simpsons fans. I think you'll agree with me that if Mr. Burns son Larry were to assess Forest start to the season, he might say it's fallen apart like a Chinese motorcycle. Is this the most spectacular slash, speedy unraveling of a feel good football story in recent Premier League memory?

[Carl]

Certainly feels like it. You're getting sacked in the morning from your own fans and people openly saying are you going to make it till Christmas when you've only just installed? It feels as if Nottingham Forest have sped run the West Ham David Moyes conundrum. So when you go from being a fairly successful, historically relevant football team and you finally get that sixth or seventh place position and then you go, oh, let's try and play more expansive football, only to realize, oh goodness, half of our squad isn't built for this. There are so many players trying to play under Angela going, you'd be so much more comfortable if you were picking the ball up five yards closer to your own penalty area. Why? Why are we doing this? Okay, I can sort of understand the reasons why. I just don't think this is sensible. So I wish you good fortune. Matt, I am very, very sorry because now everyone's slowly figuring out how good Elliot Anderson is.

[Matt Davis Adams]

Tim, I wanted to ask you a bit about Postecoglou and whether at spurs, when you were covering them, did he make any effort to ingratiate himself with supporters? Because I think this is one of the things which has led to him getting that chance in the midgetland game that he did. It's all been about him to this point. The only nod he's made is wearing Paul Smith on the touchline, which Steve Cooper employed very effectively. But other than that, one of the big criticisms of him, other than the fact that he hasn't won a game, is that he seems to be projecting the attitude of you guys are lucky that I'm here.

[Tim]

Yeah, I feel like the spurs experience has sort of changed him a little bit and he's really not enjoyed the sort of scrutiny and the media intensity and the players would have been well aware of sort of how downtrodden and silly Postecoglou looked for a lot of last season. He was a bit of a figure of fun towards the end, Europa League notwithstanding. So, yeah, are they having him? I'm not sure really, you know, Forest weren't sort of yearning for him, you know, they were doing great under Nuno. I just. I don't get it, man.

[Carl]

At.

[Tim]

I don't get it. You take something that was very, very successful and you rip it up at the start of the season after the transfer window's finished. And, you know, with Nuno, you could always control a game without. Without the ball that was. That was your sort of minimum. Postcog teams don't do that, but they're not going to. They're not going to learn to control the game with a ball with such limited training time and so many matches and so. So many players to choose from. It's just. It's a bit of a mess, really. But you can't. You can't sack him now, obviously. That would be ridiculous. You got to give him time. But he's going to need quite a bit of it, I think. It's just. It's quite shambolic, really, sorry to say.

[Matt Davis Adams]

Great. That was depressing. Let's move on to the bottom three, which is where Forest is going to be before too long. Tim, I'm going to commit a cardinal sin of a podcast coast here and ask you a question that I don't know the answer to. Can you name six Burnley players?

[Tim]

Jaden Anthony.

[Matt Davis Adams]

Yes. Big mover in your chart.

[Tim]

Dubravka in goal. Kyle Walker's at the back. They've got a Dutch left back called Hartman.

[Carl]

Quincy Hartman.

[Tim]

Yes. Josh Collins in midfield. Marcus Edwards is still there. Tuanzab is at the back.

[Matt Davis Adams]

Done it with something to spare.

[Tim]

Ashley Barnes. He must still be there.

[Carl]

Yep.

[Tim]

Yeah, that'll do, innit?

[Matt Davis Adams]

Very good.

[Carl]

You've excelled, my man.

[Matt Davis Adams]

Very impressive. Didn't even need to play your Leslie. Good Chukwu card. Like it. Well done. Burnley not doing too bad so far. What about West Ham Carl? Graham Potter gone. They got this Nuno boss in place. What's par for the grizzled Portuguese? Is it just about staying up or does he need to do it with a bit of flair?

[Carl]

Just stay up. Just stay up for now. West Ham are in such a odd place. Benji Lanyardo described it a bit like a crumbling dictatorship on the Totally Football show podcast, which stuck in my mind. And, yeah, they're doing the David Moyes problem again in attempts to play more expensive football with a squad that wasn't necessarily built for it have gone awry. The Graham Potter West Ham era will not be remembered fondly, but by basically anyone. And then I think in six months time we go Drum. When loads of West Ham fans put Graham Potter's face on people, they all go, bit weird that, wasn't it? Bit weird that the squad is not great. My overwhelming thought when I watch West Ham is is this team is slow and it is old. A lot of it feels like it's just running on the fumes of that Conference League win. I say this with not with love, but with actual concern. Tomas Souechek.

[James Mackey]

Really?

[Carl]

Still, we couldn't get anything better in here. Come on. Yeah, I think they're missing pace at center back and I think they're missing pace and communication at center back. Because one thing that's also stuck out for me is Tadiba doesn't seem to talk. There's a lot of chat about Wan Bissaka's mistakes at the back post. I think that's also being exacerbated by the fact that Todiba is not a gobby center back. And I like my center backs constantly talking. So that concerns me. So lack of legs in midfield, lack of chat at center back. And for Krug, who is fun, is slow. So good luck.

[Matt Davis Adams]

All right, they got Brentford after the international break. Right then to finish off. Let's see how you like it. Tim. Wolves are bottom of the league and they haven't won a game yet in in the top flight this season. Yet they've given their manager a new contract. What's all that about?

[Carl]

He don't like it.

[Tim]

I mean, you'd have to ask Wolves about the contract. I cannot give anything to you on that. I really can't. Long story short, they lost three really good players from last season. Matthias Cunha, Ryan Ait Nori and club captain Nelson Semedo. And their three replacements have all been dropped so far and can't hold down a place in the team. Which basically sums it up. It was an awful summer recruitment. They signed. Krechi is really good. He's a delight. The left foot is centre back or centre mid who's absolute oozes quality. But other than that there's very little. Strand Larsson has stopped scoring since he had his head turned by Newcastle. Thanks for that. And there is not much going for this team. They're fighting, I will give them that. It's not that bad yet. They haven't given up but the quality is just visible to be honest. So yeah, it's not great.

[Carl]

Okay, so Strand Larsson on the cheap in the summer. Cheers, mate.

[Tim]

Sure you can have him.

[Matt Davis Adams]

All right. Premier League resumes next Saturday. Gets underway with the early kickoff Forest against Chelsea. The standout fixture is on Sunday at 4:30 when Liverpool host Manchester United will build up to that in the preview next week. For now though, that's where we're going to leave things. Many thanks to Carl, to Tim and to producer Jay for their company today. Mainly to you for listening though. Enjoy the football. We'll catch up with you again soon. You've been listening to the Athletic FC Podcast. The producer was Jay Beal and the.

[Tim]

Presenter was Matt Davis Adams. Executive producers are Abby, Pat Madsen and Adie Moorhead. To listen to other great athletic podcasts.

[Matt Davis Adams]

For free, including our dedicated club shows. Search for the Athletic on Apple, Spotify.

[Tim]

And all the usual places.

[Matt Davis Adams]

The Athletic FC Podcast is an athletic.

[Tim]

Media company production and proudly sponsored by betfair.

[Matt Davis Adams]

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[Carl]

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