Jeff Stelling presented his last ever Soccer Saturday show on the final day of the Premier League 2022/23 season.
The veteran broadcaster announced in April he would be leaving Sky’s flagship programme at the end of the season after more than 25 years at the helm.
The 68 year-old, who U-turned on his decision to leave 12 months ago, helped transform the show into a true football institution and his departure has sparked a race to land one of the biggest jobs in football media.
Let’s take a look at some of the runners and riders who could be in the frame to replace Stelling as host of Soccer Saturday.
Adam Smith
The Sun have reported that Smith is in pole position to land the job having impressed TV executives behind the screens in auditions.
Smith is best known for his spell on Soccer AM and he has also worked on talkSPORT, along with undertaking presenting duties for Tottenham and England.
According to the Daily Mail, Sky are said to prefer an internal appointment in the midst of a huge cost-cutting exercise after losing nine per cent of their subscribers in the UK in 2022.
Julian Warren
Warren is perhaps the most obvious replacement for Stelling given his association with the programme.
He has long-since presented the midweek edition of the show and has filled in for Stelling on numerous occasions on a Saturday.
Warren is also a senior presenter on Sky Sports News.
Mark Chapman
Chapman is one of the most famous and respected presenters in the whole of the sports media industry.
The Match of the Day 2 host, who has been widely tipped to replace Gary Lineker on the main programme when the time comes, joined Sky in 2022 to front their coverage of the Carabao Cup alongside his existing BBC commitments.
According to The Sun, Chapman was discreetly interviewed for the role last year alongside Smith and Warren.
Michelle Owen
Owen is already familiar to the Soccer Saturday audience as a reporter at grounds up and down the country.
The popular figure frequently fronts the broadcaster’s coverage of the EFL and is said to be very highly regarded within the Sky ranks.
Owen presented Sky’s coverage of the Papa John’s Trophy final at Wembley earlier this year.
Hayley McQueen
McQueen is Sky Sports News’ longest-serving presenter having joined the programme in 2010.
As well as her work on the news channel, McQueen also chairs Sky’s coverage of Scottish football and has previously presented for Premier League TV around the world.
McQueen’s father, former Manchester United and Leeds defender Gordon McQueen, worked with Stelling for several years on TV.
David Jones
As host of Super Sunday and Monday Night Football, the excellent Jones is already a full-on Premier League media star.
Jones has won plaudits for his on-screen handling of some of Sky’s biggest pundits such as Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher and Roy Keane.
However, it remains to be seen whether or not Jones would be willing to take on the huge extra responsibility of the Soccer Saturday gig alongside his existing busy schedule.
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