Ian Wright is leaving Match of the Day at the end of the season, having first appeared on the BBC show in 1997 while he was still a player. He has been a regular fixture alongside host Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer, forming a blockbuster trio before announcing his departure on social media on Sunday.
“I feel very privileged to have had such an incredible run on the most iconic football show in the world,” Wright wrote. “Anyone that knows my story knows how much the show has meant to me since I was young boy. MOTD is my Holy Grail.”
With Wright set to leave the programme in May, the question remains who will replace the iconic pundit on MOTD? Here, Express Sport has taken a look at five potential options that the Beeb may consider as Wright’s permanent successor.
Micah Richards
Micah Richards already works with Lineker and Shearer on their ‘The Rest is Football’ podcast, and he has a strong relationship with the two remaining MOTD stars. He joined them on the Match of the Day: Top 10 web series and has appeared frequently on the BBC’s premier football highlights show.
Richards’ schedule is currently jam-packed, working regularly for Sky Sports and CBS, but would make a seamless transition to the sofa alongside Lineker and Shearer. However, he would hope to avoid repeating a blunder on his MOTD debut by sitting in the wrong seat.
“Coming onto Match of the Day with you two to start with is daunting, seriously,” Richards said on The Rest Is Football podcast. “You lot are legends of the game, I’m not blowing smoke up your a***. I just remember the first time coming in, Gary’s always got his chair to the right. I was sitting there for a little while and the producer was like ‘that’s Gary’s seat’.”
Martin Keown
Arsenal icon Martin Keown has been a MOTD analyst since 2007 and is a familiar face to BBC viewers. He would be an experienced hand to help smooth the transition after Wright’s exit.
MOTD have a number of current analysts to call upon but after 16 years at the show, Keown is trusted to deliver quality and enjoys a strong rapport with Lineker and Shearer – plus it may be a bonus to have a defender on the team to cast over the Premier League’s backlines.
Danny Murphy
Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy is another BBC stalwart, regularly featuring on MOTD and the Beeb’s coverage of FA Cup matches. He was on air with Lineker during the infamous ‘sex noise’ prank as the duo navigated the hugely awkward situation well, after a mobile phone had been taped to the back of the set blurting out strange noises on the broadcast.
Murphy often joins Lineker and Shearer and as the pair look for Wright’s replacement, the ex-midfielder would certainly be towards the top of the list of candidates.
Alex Scott
Alex Scott has proven to be one of the top pundits that the BBC has to call upon. She was previously drafted in as a host when Lineker was unable to present the show and was chosen to lead Football Focus along with Dan Walker.
The Beeb have since axed Football Focus but Scott remains a regular fixture with the broadcaster, and she certainly would be considered as a potential replacement for the outgoing Wright.
Jermaine Jenas
Former Tottenham and Newcastle midfielder Jermaine Jenas has long been viewed as a potential replacement for Lineker as the host of MOTD and will be among the favourites for the gig when the job becomes vacant.
He often joins the sofa on a Saturday and was even pressed on his stance on replacing Lineker by the host himself. “You want this job?” Lineker wittily asked him last month, to which Jenas replied: “No, no, I’m alright, thanks, for now.”
But taking on Wright’s role would be another step up in duties for Jenas and if he is being primed by the Beeb for Lineker’s job one day, he could take over from Wright.
