Match of the Day's Gary Lineker replacement 'decided' as odds slashed on BBC star to get job
by Simon Duke · ChronicleLiveHaving been linked with the job for months now, Alex Scott has emerged as the favourite to replace Gary Lineker on Match of the Day, after rumours another star has 'turned down' the chance to share the role.
After loads of speculation, it was 'confirmed' by sources earlier this week that ex England and Spurs striker will be stepping down from his famous hosting role at the end of this Premier League season, after 25 years at the helm. It is believed that the 63-year-old will stay with the BBC after his Match of the Day exit, to lead FA Cup coverage and to anchor the 2006 World Cup.
And Gary's predicted exit has led to an ever growing list of stars being tipped to succeed him. Prior to his controversial sacking from The One how, Jermaine Jenas was regarded by many as the frontrunner, but has since been ruled out for obvious reasons, as the likes of Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman were put in the frame.
On Wednesday, it was claimed that MOTD2 presenter Mark, affectionally known to viewers as 'Chappers' had turned down the chance to share Gary's job with Kelly Somers, causing a 'headache' for BBC bosses and that news had now led to shake-up of the odds that has put Alex firmly at the top on 2/1 with gambling experts Oddspedia, as a spokesperson commented: "With such competitive odds, it’s clear that the race to replace Lineker is heating up—and it’s looking like a new era for MOTD could be on the horizon."
Having retired from playing international football for England, Alex went onto compete on Strictly in 2019, before landing a job as one of the main presenters on The One Show, as well as being an inside the studio and pitchside pundit for BBC football coverage and vents like Soccer Aid over on ITV.
More recently, she has replaced Dan Walker as the main host of BBC Saturday afternoon preview show Soccer Saturday.
Join our WhatsApp communities
ChronicleLive is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our communities.
We have a number of communities to join, so you can choose which one you want to be part of and we'll send you the latest news direct to your phone. You could even join them all!
To join you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is choose which community you want to join, click on the link and press 'join community'.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the ChronicleLive team.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice.
Join the ChronicleLive Breaking News and Top Stories community
Join our Court & Crime community
Join the Things to do in Newcastle and the North East community
Join our Northumberland community
Join our County Durham community
Join our Great North Run community