Jermaine Jenas, who has been sacked by the BBC for inappropriate conduct, was forging an impressive post-football career on television, which was shaping up to be every bit as successful as his time as a player.
Who is Jermaine Jenas?
Jenas, now 41, was a prodigal teenage talent with hometown club Nottingham Forest, then in the old First Division, making his debut as a 17-year-old in 2001.
A rangy and technically-gifted midfielder, full of poise and energy, Jenas quickly caught the eye of top-flight clubs and joined Newcastle for £5million in February 2002, becoming the second most-expensive teenager in British football.
In his first full season on Tyneside, he was outstanding under the guidance of Sir Bobby Robson, winning the PFA Young Player of the Year in 2002-03 to suggest he was well on the way to becoming one the Premier League's leading players.
Having played at every age group from Under-15s onwards, Jenas also earned senior England honours at Newcastle, making his debut for Sven-Goran Eriksson in February 2003.
Jenas would go on to win 21 England caps, but as part England's so-called 'Golden Generation', he was not considered in the same class as the likes of Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, with whom he was competing for minutes.
In 2005, Graeme Souness, Robson's successor, claimed he had been told by Jenas' agent that he found playing for Newcastle like "living in a goldfish bowl" - a quote that would quickly be attributed to Jenas himself, and helped to foster an image of him as a cosseted modern footballer, happy to enjoy the Toon's vices but apparently unable to cope with the pressures of his status.
Jenas later insisted he never used the term and loved his time at Newcastle, though his reputation with supporters was further damaged by claiming in 2018 that his England career suffered because the "demand wasn't as high" at the Toon as rival clubs.
It prompted a scathing put down from Newcastle and England legend Alan Shearer, who sarcastically apologised to Jenas "for not being up to your level".
Jenas joined Tottenham on deadline day in August 2005, for an initial fee of £7m, beginning an eight-year association with Spurs.
The highlight was helping the club to the 2008 League Cup - still Spurs' most recent trophy - and he was instrumental in the success, scoring in both legs of the semi-final win over Arsenal and setting up the winning goal in the final against Chelsea.
Jenas largely produced only in flashes for the north London club, however, and injuries took their toll later in his career, forcing him to retire at just 32 following forgettable loan spells at Forest and Aston Villa, and a single season with Queens Park Rangers.
Jenas made over 400 club appearances but is remembered by many supporters largely as a player who had every tool to be world-class but largely failed to live up his early potential, amid suggestions that his mentality, lifestyle and battles with fitness had all contributed to holding him back.
He has continued to follow Spurs and one of his most memorable pieces of work as a co-commentator was covering their dramatic Champions League semi-final comeback at Ajax on BT Sport, alongside Darren Fletcher.
Jermaine Jenas’ family and post-football career
Jenas, a married father of four, joined BT (now TNT Sports) in 2014 following a season as a pundit on ITV's Europa League coverage, and soon become a regular on the channel as well as the BBC.
He was a leading part of the national broadcaster's coverage of this summer's European Championship, commentating on Spain’s semi-final win over France.
In 2020, he diversified away from sports coverage and began co-presenting The One Show on BBC One with Alex Jones, becoming one of its permanent hosts the following year.
BBC sacking
As a regular pundit on Match of the Day, he was widely tipped as Gary Lineker's eventual successor as the programme's main presenter.
But Jenas' career at the BBC now appears in tatters.
Jenas been sacked by the corporation following complaints about workplace conduct.
He has been taken off air from both Match of the Day and The One Show.
BBC News reported his contract was terminated eek because of alleged issues relating to workplace behaviour.
Responding to the news, Jenas said there were "two sides to every story" but he would let his "lawyers deal with it".
He remains on the books at talkSPORT and TNT Sports.
