Who will replace Ian Wright as the new HEAD PUNDIT on this season's Match of the Day? Jermaine Jenas is EVENS favourite to step into Wright's shoes!

Jermaine Jenas is now the evens favourite to be the head pundit on Match of the Day this season

Former Tottenham player turned media personality Jermaine Jenas is now evens to be the head pundit on Match of the Day this coming season after Ian Wright's departure.

Jenas has been a regular on Match of the Day and Match of the Day 2 and also presents The One Show from time to time on the BBC so bosses of the network clearly like him.

Now it may be that Jenas steps up as the lead pundit on the BBC's flagship football show that airs weekly on the channel showing the highlights of every Premier League game.

The latest odds say there's a 50% chance of him getting the role with other pundits that have featured on the show also appearing in the market including Danny Murphy and Micah Richards.

*As bookmakers currently aren't taking bets on this event, odds have been compiled as theoretical probability from an entertainment perspective only and come from an industry expert

Ian Wright stepped down from role at the end of last season

Ian Wright announced that he would be leaving Match of the Day back in December and an emotional send-off in the final episode of last season saw him appear on the show for the last time.

Wright said it was the best time for him to step back from the role as he explained his reasons for the departure on the Stick to Football podcast alongside fellow pundits Gary Neville, Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher.

“The way I am now, because I have to get back to London [after filming] it’s like 3.30am in the morning – it’s a long day. I leave at 8am in the morning and get back at 12am [midnight]."

Gareth Southgate also appears in market after leaving his role as England manager

Former England manager Gareth Southgate also features in the market to join the Match of the Day squad as head pundit in the new season as he looks for the new step in his career.

Southgate stood down from his role as England boss after his side lost in the Euro 2024 Final to Spain and he may decide to turn back to punditry.

Reports in the Daily Mail at the weekend said that the BBC want Southgate to sign up for Match of the Day for this season and he has been a pundit before on ITV after joining the team for the FA Cup and Champions League back in 2009.

More than 15 years later it could well be that he returns in a punditry role while he waits for his next managerial role.

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