The search for the next presenter of Match of the Day has begun.
Gary Lineker’s £1.3million-a-year contract expires at the end of the season and the 63-year-old will not be extending his gig hosting English football’s most esteemed programme.
With his ever-growing podcast empire, Goalhanger, keeping him busy, Lineker appears to feel the time is right to call it a day. So, who will replace him?
Who will be the next Match of the Day presenter?
Another regular presenter on the network’s sports coverage is Match of the Day 2 and 5 Live host Mark Chapman, 50, who has previously been tipped to move to Sky Sports having fronted their Carabao Cup broadcasts.
Chapman has quickly been installed as the bookies’ favourite for the gig, followed closely behind by Alex Scott, the former England and Arsenal defender, 39, who has become a mainstay across the Beeb as the host of Football Focus as well as daytime gameshow The Tournament.
It had been well reported for some time now that Jermaine Jenas was a prime candidate to succeed Lineker as the regular presenter, having become a BBC staple on the MOTD pundit roster, the host of spin-off MOTDx and in his duties presenting The One Show.
However, those supposed plans had to be torn up earlier this year when Jenas was sacked by the BBC over allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
Gabby Logan, 51, has worked for the BBC for almost 20 years and covers a wide variety of sports. If the doubts over the Beeb’s rights to future Six Nations tournaments come to pass, that would certainly open up a gap in her diary.
Turn back the clock five years and Dan Walker would have been considered a genuine option to take over from Lineker but his departure to Channel 5 in 2022 has reduced those chances, unless both parties are willing for a somewhat risky reunion.
The BBC could always turn away from the concept of a professional presenter and stick a pundit in the hotseat (Scott is effectively the former these days). Alan Shearer probably doesn’t have the slickness required for the job but Micah Richards, Dion Dublin, Rio Ferdinand and Pat Nevin are smooth operators who could be in the running.
It can also not be ruled out that a favourite from a rival broadcaster is nabbed for the job, such as Mark Pougatch, Laura Woods or Kelly Cates - who splits her time between Sky and BBC Radio.
