IAN WRIGHT is leaving Match of the Day at the end of the season.
The former Arsenal and England striker first appeared on the Premier League highlights show in 1997 while he was still a player.
And he has been a regular in recent years alongside Alan Shearer and host Gary Lineker.
Wrighty, 60, confirmed his shock departure on social media and then shared a brilliant throwback clip from his debut.
He said: “I feel very privileged to have had such an incredible run on the most iconic football show in the world.
“Anyone that knows my story knows how much the show has meant to me since I was young boy. MOTD is my Holy Grail.
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“On my first ever show, I told Des Lynam, ‘This is my Graceland’. It will always be my Graceland and I will always be watching.”
But with Wright quitting after the 2023-24 campaign which ends in May, who could join the team of pundits in the studio next year?
DIDIER DROGBA
Talk about replacing one big-name striker for another… Didier Drogba would be a major coup for the BBC.
Two-time Golden Boot winner Drogba, 45, scored 104 Premier League goals in 254 appearances for Chelsea, winning four titles.
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He worked for the BBC as a pundit at the Qatar World Cup 2022 so knows what it takes and already has a working relationship with the team.
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RIO FERDINAND
Like Drogba, Rio Ferdinand worked for the Beeb for the World Cup last year and is one of the top pundits around these days.
He is TNT Sports’ main man for their Saturday lunchtime kick-offs and Champions League coverage so a deal would need to be struck – but Micah Richards has proven it is possible to be a pundit for multiple broadcasters.
Ferdinand, 45, carries a wealth of expertise and insight both from a player and pundit perspective after six Premier League winner’s medals, a Champions League and 81 England caps.
SHAUN WRIGHT-PHILLIPS
They could keep it in the family by bringing in Shaun Wright-Phillips to take over from his dad Ian.
The pair created history as the first father-and-son duo on the show back in May – the former Chelsea and Manchester City winger’s debut.
Shaun, 42, was not afraid to give his old man a bit of banter and could be a suitable option after announcing his retirement in 2019.
FARA WILLIAMS
Fara Williams has made a seamless transition from the stadium to the studio since hanging up her boots in 2021.
The 172-cap England international boasts tremendous knowledge – representing her country more times than any other footballer in history, male or female.
Williams, 39, demonstrated her ability to analyse the game during the Women’s World Cup and is part of the BBC’s WSL team with Alex Scott.
JERMAIN DEFOE
Jermain Defoe sure knows what is takes to perform in the Premier League after 162 goals in 496 games for West Ham, Tottenham, Portsmouth, Sunderland and Bournemouth before retiring in 2022 with 57 Three Lions caps to his name.
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He has stayed in football and is back working with Spurs as an academy coach with the Under-18s on top of punditry with Channel 4 for recent England matches as well as Premier League Productions.
Defoe, 41, has done plenty of media work already with the BBC – including his own fly-on-the-wall Outside The Box documentary and the Football Firsts podcast with SunSport columnist Troy Deeney.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
