ARSENAL hero Theo Walcott will be taking the hot seat next to Gary Lineker on Match of the Day next season.
It comes after former Gunner Ian Wright, 60, emotionally stepped away from the role after 27 years at the end of the last campaign.
Newly retired Joe Hart will also appear alongside the regular team in a new look panel for the 24/25 Premier League season.
The former Manchester City and Celtic goalkeeper eased into punditry with the BBC during England’s run to the Euros final and will be in the studio for the first weekend of Prem action.
Meanwhile, Walcott, 35, has regularly featured on Sky Sports’ top-flight games since calling time on his career last summer, after a stint back at boyhood club Southampton.
Alan Shearer will continue in his weekly role as a pundit, while the likes of Micah Richards will take on “a more prominent punditry role” this season according tot the BBC.
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Danny Murphy, Jermaine Jenas and Dion Dublin are expected to continue being utilised when needed.
Weekly panellist Wright – endearingly nicknamed “Wrighty” – departed Match of the Day in May and has since revealed the reasons behind his surprise exit.
He told the Stick to Football Podcast: “It’s time. I had a dear friend who said that sometimes you’ve got to know when to step back, change, rest, have a break, and say no, it’s just time.
“The way I am now, because I have to get back to London from Manchester after filming it’s like 3:30am in the morning – it’s a long day.
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“It takes me two to three days after that to get ready and there are other things I’m doing which I just haven’t got the energy for sometimes.”
New duo Hart and Walcott starred for England at several international tournaments and have racked up an impressive 738 Premier League appearances between them.
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Walcott became England’s youngest-ever senior star, aged 17 years and 75 days against Hungary in May 2006, before being included in the World Cup squad that summer.
The 35-year-old brings plenty of Prem knowledge, having notched 108 goals in 270 Arsenal appearances before joining Everton in 2018.
While Hart picked up 75 caps during his nine year spell as the Three Lions’ No1.
Speaking on his new role, the ex-goalkeeper said:
“I’m very excited, very proud, and looking forward to growing into an incredible role on something that I grew up watching.
“I want to try and give back as much as I can from the career I’ve had and keep learning.
“I’m thrilled to be in an around an incredible set up, learning first and foremost in a new part of my life.”
On Wright’s Match of the Day exit, previous host Des Lynam, 81, said: “It’s a shame, because he has developed into a first-class broadcaster and pundit.
“He speaks from the heart and people like that. He’s never bland. He made his first appearance on MotD when I was there.
“He came on, as a player, and said ‘Des, this is my Graceland’ because he’d watched it since he was a boy.”
Lynam also backed Micah Richards to step into Wright’s shoes and become a regular pundit on the BBC’s flagship footie show.
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He said: ‘I think it’s Richards isn’t it? He’s got a sense of humour and he knows football.
“I think he needs to calm down a little but his opinions are quite solid, though I don’t think anybody can quite match Wrighty.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
