Hello Rank Squad! 

It's the return of Champions League Takeaway for a new season - your midnight feast of all the action from the Champions League. As the competition returned, we were treated to a classic at the Bernabeu, with Jose Mourinho playing host to the side with which he won the tournament in this very stadium, and then beat them 2-1 in a classic encounter between Real Madrid and Inter. 

Manchester City's impressive form continued with a 2-0 win away at Porto, who looked like tricky opposition on paper and proved it on pitch, whilst Aston Villa got their first goal and win of the season in any competition as they beat Club Brugge 3-2, in a topsy turvy encounter that was a heap of fun to watch. 

For the second time in the space of five days, Troy Parrott was Real Betis' hero, scoring the winner as Los Verdiblancos announced their return to this competition with a victory over Lille, in another great game that was somewhat spoiled by the sending off of Ethan Mbappé for the hosts; Borussia Dortmund just about shaded an all-yellow encounter with Villarreal which saw Serhou Guirassy notch a brace and join some pretty illustrious company; and AEK Athens beat LASK 1-0 thanks to an absolutely gorgeous free-kick from Răzvan Marin. 

Two more of these to come this week gang as we analyse all the action from the return of the big one, so we'll see you again tomorrow! It's Ranks! 

And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon?

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Hello Rank Squad! 

After a very chaotic Deadline Day, we thought it was for the best that we discussed all of the biggest stories to come out of the window before it slammed shut. We start with Manchester City's deal for Enzo Fernandez, which equals the British Transfer Record set by Alexander Isak, and also makes Enzo the first player ever to have two separate £100m+ transfers in their career. We discuss too the deal that City struck to bring Iliman Ndiaye to the Etihad, as well as how Chelsea tried to replace Enzo - before the Lamine Camara deal fell through, something we get to later in the episode. 

Following that, we talk through Spurs' deadline deals for Mykhailo Mudryk and Tosin Adarabioyo from Chelsea and whether they are risks that are worth taking, as well as Matias Fernandez-Pardo's transfer from Lille to Newcastle United which seems like it fits exactly what Matthias Jaissle is trying to do at St. James' Park.

In Part Two, we discuss why Liverpool fans should be excited about the addition of Bradley Barcola from PSG, even at a big fee; as well as Villa's own young addition from Paris in the shape of Ibrahim Mbaye; before chatting through Gabriel Jesus' switch from Arsenal to Barcelona, the saga involving Flo Balogun and the move to Everton, Chelsea 'signing' Honest Ahanor before he went off to Crystal Palace on loan, and the tug-of-war between Sunderland and Crystal Palace for the services of Malik Fofana.

And finally, Jack walks us through a few of the more interesting moves across the rest of Europe in Part Three, looking at Ethan Nwaneri's move to Borussia Dortmund, Fiorentina signing Pedro Gonçalves from Sporting on loan, Harvey Elliott joining Valencia (and it's knock on effects), Guela Doue signing for Bayer Leverkusen for a big fee, and Lille's Bouaddi replacement in Maurits Kjaergaard. 

It's Ranks! 

And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon?

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Hello Rank Squad!

We have under seven days until the summer transfer window SLAMS SHUT and there is plenty left to do for a whole host of the world's biggest clubs. We walk through all of the big storylines that will help define how this window is considered by fans all over the planet. 

We start with Manchester United, who announced the signing of Carlos Baleba on Tuesday, but who still are in desperate need of a left back to compete with or supplant Luke Shaw in the starting lineup. They want Newcastle's Lewis Hall, but that looks unlikely, so where will they turn? Liverpool fans are desperate for midfielders, but it looks like the additions the club are after are all in the forward line. Will Barcola get done after the saga we've had? And will Cody Gakpo end up departing? Then there's Enzo Fernandez, whose proposed move to Manchester City to play once more under Enzo Maresca looks like it could be on again. We discuss why, and how Chelsea might go about replacing him should he depart for the Etihad.

In Part Two, we discuss the Aston Villa rebuild that Unai Emery is currently having to work out in double fast time. Joel Ordoñez as a Konsa replacement seems to be progressing, and Nicolas Jackson is a long-term target who Chelsea seem willing to sell, but the Jean-Philippe Mateta situation is also being monitored at Crystal Palace. Jonathan David is being considered by both Villa and Palace, but looks like he might head to Atleti instead, whilst Flo Balogun is currently seemingly frozen out at Monaco and could yet seal a move elsewhere as well. And finally, Newcastle seem to be progressing on a deal for City's Nico Gonzalez, but could they also sign a dynamic attacker to boost Matthias Jaissle's options up top?

And then in Part Three, we talk through Ipswich's pursuit of Exequiel Palacios, Liam Delap's impending £50m move to Nottingham Forest, why so many clubs are looking at Barcelona midfielder Marc Casado, Al-Hilal's moves for both Ollie Watkins and Gabriel Martinelli, the Julian Alvarez saga and how that ends, as well as Barcelona's No 9 alternatives - including one Victor Osimhen, whose tale has been suspiciously quiet up to this point. 

It's Ranks! 

And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon?

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Hello Rank Squad!

Here we go again in the Premier League, with the competition kicking off this Friday as Champions Arsenal host newly-promoted Coventry City in the curtain raiser. On today's show, we preview everything you need to know ahead of the new campaign, starting with defending champions Arsenal in Part One, alongside both Manchester United and Manchester City, and new-look Liverpool. 

In Part Two we discuss the serious changes at both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as Unai Emery's Europa League conquerors Aston Villa, who have earned their spot at the top of the pantheon in recent years. 

Then in Part Three, we walk through every other team in the division, giving our early thoughts on how they might fare in what is shaping up to be perhaps the Premier League's most chaotic campaign in many years. 

It's Ranks! 

And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon?

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Hello Rank Squad!

La Liga returns this weekend, and thus it's time for our big preview - even if it feels like mere days since the World Cup ended! We start in Part One with a look at the Big Three - a Barcelona side looking for three league titles in a row, a Real Madrid side now under Jose Mourinho bringing in plenty of new faces to try and overturn the power balance, and an Atletico Madrid under major pressure to close the gap to their El Clasico rivals. 

In Part Two, Jack is joined by the brilliant Ruairidh Barlow to talk through the rest of the division and the storylines you should be keeping an eye on that might not make so many of the headlines. We discuss all of the other Spanish teams in Europe this season - Villarreal, Real Betis, Real Sociedad, Celta Vigo and Getafe; to see what the campaign looks like for them. 

And then in Part Three, there's some chat about new managers, namely Edin Terzic at Athletic Club and Beñat San Jose at Rayo Vallecano, as well as a look at three promoted sides with serious pedigree in the top flight, the returning Deportivo de a Coruña, Malaga and Racing Santander, to see how they will cope with life back at the top table. 

It's Ranks!

And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon?

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Hello Rank Squad!

Jack's taken a much-needed breather before the season gets going again, so the Guru's at the controls and today Dean's cutting through the noise to look at the big six in the Premier League and where their big transfer signings might yet come before the transfer window closes

Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham are covered in Part One, before Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea wrap things up in Part Two. 

It's Ranks!

And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon?

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Hello Rank Squad! 

It's time to bring the Transfer Guru firmly back into play with the World Cup done and dusted - and Dean's been keeping an eye on the biggest transfers that have taken place both during the tournament and after it finished. With that in mind, we talk through the big deals involved in Tottenham Hotspur's complete revamp, and Manchester United's midfield refresh; before heading onwards to discuss the changes at Chelsea, including Morgan Rogers' British record transfer move, the deal it eclipsed in Elliot Anderson's shift to Manchester City, Real Madrid's defensive rebuild (and what happens next), Villa replacing beautifully like-for-like, and Bayern doing what they do best in the market for good measure. 

Then, Jack takes us on a little tour of 10 deals he likes this summer that might have just slipped under your radar, from Leeds' superstar new centre-back addition, to Griezmann's replacement at Atletico Madrid, a young Belgian superstar off to Germany, some free transfers to Premier League midfields, and a veteran striking presence set to light things up for the returning Deportivo La Coruña. 

It's Ranks! 

And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon?

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Hello Rank Squad! 

We've got a special guest for you today, as we're joined by the man who covered the World Cup like no other - Casey Settleman of Snapback Sports, who went to a World Cup game every day of the tournament, criss-crossing the three host countries and getting acquainted with the 48 fanbases across the tournament. 

Today he joins Jack to look back at the adventure of a lifetime, as well as doing a bunch of mini-rankings to give a better feel for what life was like in the thick of the action. Casey ranks his favourite games, stadia, fanbases, individual performances, match atmospheres and concession food from across a World Cup odyssey - and we have a chat too through a few of the other elements in the equation. 

It's Ranks!

And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon?

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Hello Rank Squad!

Here's a little bit of a bonus episode looking back at the World Cup final, where Spain triumphed 1-0 over Argentina thanks to a Ferran Torres winner in extra time, as the comprehensively better side on the day lifted the trophy, and opened up the conversation again about a cohesive collective being stronger than the stardust of the individual. We take a look back at both sides of the final and how it played out, taking a couple of questions on each from our Postbox episode on our Patreon. 

We also discuss our Team of the Tournament, some winners and losers from the World Cup, and the legacy that it will hold in the USA and beyond.

We'd love to have you over on the Patreon, where our Ultras get two extra episodes a week, your questions answered on the Postbox and thus, the ability to direct the flow of the conversation; and plenty more all summer long, including Dean's transfer notebook and special Q&A episodes; and there's loads more on there too in the full version of this episode (which is almost double the length!) - with a discussion of England after the Bronze Medal Match, and a brilliant story from one of our listeners about the life-changing experience of watching this World Cup in Costa Rica. The link is below, or you can search Ranks FC on the Patreon app - where you'll be able to integrate those episodes on Spotify, Apple Music, or the like. 

It's Ranks!

And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon?

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Hello Rank Squad! 

We're back with our final show from within the 2026 World Cup, looking ahead to the final on Sunday between Spain and Argentina. We take each team individually, reflecting on their performances in their semi-finals and the games leading up to them, discuss how we think this battle might play out, and give some predictions for good measure. 

It's Ranks! 

And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon?

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