Player Unrest

Arya Allahverdi, who runs the Gol Bezan podcast, joins the pod to discuss an Iranian national team that's had its share of controversy, mostly surrounding the coach, Dragan Skočić, who was sacked and then un-sacked this summer after a poor friendly against Algeria. But Iran has several talented players, particularly in the attack, and Allahverdi thinks they'll come out and play at the World Cup, especially against the U.S. He also gives his preferred starting XI.

Mark Chapman & The Athletic's David Ornstein bring exclusive insight into the week's biggest football stories, including Pochettino's exit and Mourinho's arrival at Spurs, Jadon Sancho's growing unrest at Dortmund and Manchester United's search for a striker. All this plus the latest on the futures of Arsenal boss Unai Emery, his captain Granit Xhaka, and Everton's Marco Silva. TIMINGS 02:00 - What other moves could Pochettino's departure trigger? 04:00 - Is Quique Sanchez Flores really on the brink at Watford? 07:00 - Why did Daniel Levy go for Mourinho and why did he decide to get rid of Pochettino? 10:00 - What role did the agents Pini Zahavi & Jorge Mendes play in the Mourinho deal? 12:30 - Were the Spurs players consulted throughout the whole situation? 15:00 - Will Man Utd renew their interest in Poch? (with The Athletic's Laurie Whitwell) 17:00 - Are Man Utd interested in Erling Haarland, and could Raiola complicate things? 21:00 - Why is Jadon Sancho unhappy at Dortmund and where could he move to? 24:00 - Latest on the future of Unai Emery at Arsenal 27:30 - The Athletic's Patrick Boyland with the latest on Marco Silva's future 32:00 - How active will Spurs be in the transfer window? 37:00 - Latest on the future of Granit Xhaka at Arsenal 39:00 - Has the atmosphere at Arsenal reached boiling point? Subscribe to The Athletic using the special promo code UKPOD and receive 40% off! Also, subscribers will have access to exclusive episodes. SIGN UP NOW: http://theathletic.com/ukpod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.