The News Agents

Manchester United’s Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid has left plenty to unpack — not least Lisandro Martinez’s explosive post-match comments. Mark Chapman and Nedum Onuoha react to the biggest talking points from another dramatic week in Europe.Then, we turn to something far less visible but increasingly common inside football: Snus and nicotine pouch use.Why has nicotine become so normal in dressing rooms? Why are players using it, and what happens when a habit that starts socially becomes something much harder to control?We hear from a former Premier League footballer speaking candidly about his own addiction to snus, explore how these behaviours spread through teams and academies, and ask whether snus is really the story — or simply one symptom of a much wider issue.From nicotine and gambling to nitrous oxide and the search for a release from the intensity of elite sport, this is a conversation about what happens away from the pitch — the dressing room culture which fuels addiction amongst footballers.📩 Got a question for The Sports Agents? https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod📱Follow us on socials:TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thesportsagentsInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesportsagents/X - https://x.com/sportsagentspod📥 Email: [email protected]💭 Take our listener survey: https://forms.gle/YMUvajQktqBuimgh6Executive Producer: Adonis PratsidesSenior Producer: David FinchVideo Producer: Sam TrudgillSocial Media Editor: Jasmine WissartTom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast networkVicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for GlobalYou can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

Just days after Donald Trump signed a deal with Vladimir Putin to import Russian oil into America, Ukraine has been dealt a new blow from the US. Elon Musk has been accused of restricting the use of his Starlink devices - crucial satellites used by Ukraine in their war against the Kremlin. Why does it appear that MAGA seems intent on throwing the war for Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and, as Andy Burnham hosts Ukraine's president in Downing Street - is there anything he can do to repair the damage? We speak to Trump's former Special Representative for Negotiations with Ukraine, Kurt Volker.Later, the Prime Minister has insisted he won't do any deal with the Greens while their 'Zionism is racism' motion remains party policy. Does he really mean what he says?The News Agents is a Global Production.The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Donald Trump knows who his friends are and who his enemies are. And in 2026, with midterm elections just days away, Trump has decide his friend is Putin and his job is to lift sanctions to buy Russian oil - enriching the Kremlin in the process. He’s hoping it will bring down the price of diesel to convince consumers to vote for his party in the elections. But it’s a move that smacks of cowardice and in any case comes too late to change the price at the pumps. Meanwhile here we are grappling with the cost of Trump's war in Iran as we head into our own budget . We ask Helen Miller of the IFS what levers she’d pull to change the country’s fortunes.The News Agents is a Global Production.The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

After the boardroom drama of the last fortnight the Premier League is back and focus shifts to Manchester City’s players who face the court of public opinion for the first time since the guilty verdicts vs Liverpool at Anfield.It’s going to be a bear pit and, as Liverpool await, lifelong City fan Nedum Onuoha opens up for the first time about how the Manchester City financial case has changed his relationship with the club.He joins Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman to explore the pressure facing City’s players and your ideas for making Premier League spending rules fairer.Plus: Manchester United v Tottenham — already a must-win? And what is going on with Cristiano Ronaldo after he accuses his Portugal manager of broken promises while insisting his international career isn’t over.📩 Got a question for The Sports Agents? https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod📱Follow us on socials:TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thesportsagentsInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesportsagents/X - https://x.com/sportsagentspod📥 Email: [email protected]💭 Take our listener survey: https://forms.gle/YMUvajQktqBuimgh6Executive Producer: Adonis PratsidesSenior Producer: David FinchVideo Producer: Sam TrudgillSocial Media Editor: Jasmine WissartTom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast networkVicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for GlobalYou can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

Kemi Badenoch's speech to the Tory party conference was much trailed for its tax cuts and its economic adventurism. What was not expected, however, was the manner in which she would choose to sock it to Reform. Drawing on her own family experiences, she called out the ethno-nationalism of the parties on her right, swearing she would not “unite with THAT”. This on the same day the Reform party - marking its own homework - declared no wrongdoing over the polling scandal exposed by Channel 4 News and Verbatim. Is Kemi winning new friends? Or is the party still deluded about its popularity?The News Agents is a Global Production.The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

The Greens have become the first UK political party to call for a one state solution in Israel - and passed a motion asserting that "Zionism is fundamentally incompatible with anti racist principles, equality and justice". The conference in Brighton voted to "support the establishment of a single democratic Palestinian state" - but rejected an amendment which would have clarified that the motion would "not be used to pressure, proscribe or discipline members based on affiliation with Jewish community institutions, such as synagogues... that describe themselves as Zionist".Why have they gone further than Palestinian leaders? Are British Jews who attend synagogues now seen by the party as "racist"? And why are Greens singling out the one Jewish state - without asking equal questions of the legitimacy of the establishment of others?Jon and Emily speak to Guardian columnist and Unholy podcast co-host Jonathan Freedland.The News Agents is a Global Production.The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

The Manchester City case has become a political story.As calls grow for City’s owners to be removed, Prime Minister Andy Burnham says he would be sorry to see them go.Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman are joined by Telegraph sports writer Owen Slot and The News Agents’ Jon Sopel to examine the latest fallout, what happens next for Manchester City — and what the case now means for the Premier League, its owners and the British government.📩 Got a question for The Sports Agents? https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod📱Follow us on socials:TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thesportsagentsInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesportsagents/X - https://x.com/sportsagentspod📥 Email: [email protected]💭 Take our listener survey: https://forms.gle/YMUvajQktqBuimgh6Executive Producer: Adonis PratsidesSenior Producer: David FinchVideo Producer: Daniel AihieSocial Media Editor: Jasmine WissartTom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast networkVicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for GlobalYou can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

How much does it cost to top the Premier League? A secret £830 million, it seems. Manchester City, and its billionaire Abu Dhabi owners, have been found guilty of a scheme to hide millions pumped into the club, breaking UK spending rules – and possibly a few laws too. It's a problem that kicked off in the beautiful game, but is landing now in politics.In Burnham's celebrated first speech at the Labour Party conference as leader he spoke against big corporations trampling on the average person. So will he stand with his city's big investors, or with those who feel wronged by Man City's financial actions? And how much is his legacy as Greater Manchester Mayor now tarnished by accusations of dirty money?The News Agents is a Global Production.The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

There's a surprising buoyancy at Labour conference this year. For all the warnings of the grim economic backdrop and the myriad challenges facing Andy Burnham, his message of 'Hope Again' does seem to have registered, at least with the party faithful at Liverpool.But John Healey couldn't really sell sunlit uplands in his speech today - he was at pains to point out that this is NOT the 1990s. And a potential diesel export ban from Donald Trump could make things a whole lot bleaker. Can Burnham sail through this conference on vibes?And if his government is so keen on growing the economy, why can't they say where they stand on another runway at Heathrow? We speak to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander.The News Agents is a Global Production.The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

The Sports Agents are at the Laver Cup 2026 in London for a special episode with three generations of tennis stars.Andy Murray joins Gabby Logan for a wide-ranging conversation about life after tennis, the intensity of competing at the very top, and how his relationship with the game has changed.Murray is joined by one of the biggest names in the history of the sport, Andre Agassi, who reflects on rivalry, pressure, longevity and what it takes to survive at the highest level.And with Wimbledon Semi-Finalist Arthur Fery also joining the show, we look ahead to the next generation trying to make their mark.From two Grand Slam greats to one of Britain’s emerging talents, this is tennis past, present and future at the Laver Cup.Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 1:32 Andre Agassi 16:28 Arthur Fery 26:30 Andy Murray📩 Got a question for The Sports Agents? https://forms.gle/9SBbW1SYWqXLKnRT7🖥️ Watch our full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SportsAgentsPod📱Follow us on socials:TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thesportsagentsInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thesportsagents/X - https://x.com/sportsagentspod📥 Email: [email protected]💭 Take our listener survey: https://forms.gle/YMUvajQktqBuimgh6Executive Producer: Adonis PratsidesSenior Producer: David FinchVideo Producer: Sam TrudgillSocial Media Editor: Jasmine WissartTom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast networkVicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for GlobalYou can listen to this episode on Alexa - just say "Alexa, ask Global Player to play The Sports Agents".👕 The Sports Agents have merch! You can buy yours now: https://store.global.com/collections/the-sports-agents

"I made a small error and I've apologised and it will be put right in the second edition, but that's it." That's what Earl Spencer told Lorraine this morning. The error in question is about Piers Morgan. In his new book, Spencer claims that Morgan published a hidden camera photo of Diana in 1993 while working for the Daily Mirror. The big problem with that? Morgan didn't join the Mirror until 1995. He's launched legal action against Diana's brother - and speaks to Jon and Emily.Later, Andy Burnham will be pleased that his first face to face with Donald Turmp went off without any major hiccup. Their meeting on the sidelines of the UN was actually pretty chummy in large part - so why is the UK now having to rethink its plan for the Chagos Islands as a result?The News Agents is a Global Production.The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

Trump’s war on the media has been deepening for decades - whether it’s been litigation, doxxing, intimidation or simply a ban on access - we kind of feel like we’ve seen it all before. But today one thing happened that changed all that - the broadcast media joined ranks and fought back.After three major outlets - CNN, MS Now and Politico - were shut out of the White House, other outlets pulled their participation from the pool team. They're refusing to cover his visit to New York. So has Trump’s move spectacularly backfired?Later, why is the German chancellor calling his own ejection result a ‘disaster’? And does it mean he’s going to follow Keir Starmer out of his own job?The News Agents is a Global Production.The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/