Sky Sports eye Roman Kemp in TV shake-up after Match of the Day snub

Roman Kemp has emerged as a surprise target for Sky Sports as they continue on a major restructure which has seen seven presenters leave the broadcaster this summer
Sky Sports are in talks with Roman Kemp over a role presenting their football coverage. The 32-year-old is the son of former Spandau Ballet bassist Martin Kemp and rose to fame as the host of Capital Radio's Breakfast show.
He left that role in March 2024 after seven years, instead focusing on his presenting job on the One Show. Kemp is also famously a huge fan of Arsenal, regularly attending matches at the Emirates Stadium.
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He emerged as a surprise name to take over as Match of the Day host following Gary Lineker's exit. Lineker announced last November that his time as MOTD host would come to an end this summer.
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The former Barcelona star has now left the BBC a year early, after his contract was terminated. Bosses at the corporation are thought to be keen to give the iconic show broader appeal to younger audiences.
That led to Kemp's name being linked with a role on the programme, though ultimately Mark Chapman, Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan were selected to timeshare the job of being Lineker's replacement.
Following that snub, the Daily Mail report rivals Sky Sports have opened talks with Kemp over a potential job. The final nature of the role is yet to be decided, though one option is for Kemp to front a show which would be simulcast on Sky Sports News, along with Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League channels.
It comes as Sky continue to embark on a major restructure. Seven reporters and presenters have been made redundant, including presenters Rob Wotton, Teddy Draper and Jasper Taylor.
Back in November, The Sun reported that Kemp was being lined up for a 'digital role' within the Match of the Day stable. The BBC struck a new highlights deal with the Premier League which enables them to show match action before their traditional 10.30pm time-slot on Saturday nights.
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The corporation are expected to 'put a renewed focus' on their digital output in light of said agreement. Kemp has been used by Football Focus to conduct some interviews, such as with Arsenal star Mikel Merino back in December.
When he announced Chapman, Cates and Logan as Lineker's replacement, BBC Sport director Alex Kay-Jelski insisted he was very hopeful for the future. He said: "I know viewers will love these three incredible broadcasters and journalists at the heart of our football coverage next season.
"They're brilliant at what they do and MOTD viewers can be sure they will be well looked after as the big football talking points are expertly analysed.
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"Gary has done a phenomenal job at Match of the Day for the last 25 years, he'll be missed greatly and we all still get to enjoy him on our screens across some of football's greatest tournaments.
"Outside of Match of the Day we've got some great new shows, voices and surprises lined up for the 2025-26 season across audio, video and digital and we look forward to sharing them with you all later in the year. It's a truly exciting time for BBC Sport's football coverage."

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Times

3 hours ago

• Times

Andy Farrell: It's unacceptable. We were tentative and made too many errors

Read Alex Lowe's full report from the Aviva Stadium in Dublin as the Lions fell to defeat in their first game of the summer. The Lions head coach, speaking to Sky Sports, congratulated Argentina on their performance against his side, but said there was a lot for the Lions to work on: 'You can't win a Test match with an error rate like that. 'Throwing passes that were never on, losing aerial battles, it's not acceptable. Disappointed. We need to be honest with ourselves.' 'There was good and bad throughout. I won't single out individuals, but we were a bit tentative. 'The start of the second half was more like it, but we suppressed ourselves with that error count.' The head coach gave nothing away regarding any replacements in the touring party. Bundee Aki, who got the Lions going with his bulldozing try in the first half, told Sky Sports: 'This shows where we are as a group, we know the challenge ahead of us, and we have to keep building on today. 'The more and more we train together as a group, the better we will be, but we have to learn quick.' Julian Montoya, speaking to Sky Sports, praised his team's effort across the whole 80 minutes. 'We were sure we wanted to give our best and take our opportunities, which we did. 'We want to enjoy the win with the team and with the boys who played their first game.' The captain has provided a frank assessment of the game to Sky Sports, lamenting his team's inconsistency. 'When we were direct, we were awesome,' he says. 'There were glimmers of what we could do. 'Argentina showed us where we were lacking, it was a hard-fought game. Now we know where we are. The lesson is that we live and we learn.' He pays tribute to the fans who were in full voice in Dublin, and expects plenty of the same out in Australia. The Argentina fly half was outstanding, scoring his side's second try, landing two conversions and three penalties, and is rightly given the award. What a performance from the visitors. A huge effort against the Lions gives them a 28-24 victory in Dublin. Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. The Lions have a penalty for head-on-head contact on halfway, still trailing by four points. Fin Smith goes for the touchline, and it falls just inside the Argentina 22. Last chance… The vice-captain has given away a crucial penalty at a crucial time, and the Lions must retreat a long way having been within spitting distance of the Argentina line. Could that be the game? A silly penalty is given away by Montoya, who boots the ball out of Williams's hands. The Lions go for the corner. It's a capacity crowd in Dublin, which will be welcome news to organisers after fears that tonight's fixture was undersold. Meanwhile, the Lions have made a couple more changes, and are probing away in the Argentina half. That's an absolutely astonishing try. Albornoz sends Tom Curry for a kipper, goes outside and overpowers Pollock on the way. The ball goes through the hands one way then the other, before Moroni sends a kick in behind for Cordero to chase. He outstrips Marcus Smith, no mean feat, and goes over in the corner. The kick is good from Albornoz, and Argentina are back in the lead. Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. Tadhg Beirne picks a wonderful line for a flat pass from Tomos Williams and goes over uncontested to give the Lions the lead. But it's all about the initial break from Ellis Genge — the Bristol man lives up to his Baby Rhino nickname, making several metres before the Lions went wide. Another excellent scrum for the Lions brings a penalty, which Fin Smith hoofs downfield. There's a huge cheer as Ronan Kelleher, Tomos Williams and Henry Pollock, the youngest player on tour, make their way onto the field. The 20-year-old is familiar to the locals here after his fantastic performance in the Champions Cup semi-final victory over Leinster. That's a big moment in the game. the Lions rolling maul gets towards the line, collapses under Argentinian pressure, and the referee makes his way under the posts. The loose-head Vivas is sent to the bin and the deficit is reduced to four points. The home side have put some good phases together, and it ends with a penalty. Itoje orders Fin Smith to the corner for the lineout. Fin Smith gets the second half going. The Lions have a chance now to make sure they get on the plane to Australia tomorrow with a solid performance under their belts. A breathless first half comes to an end with Argentina leading 21-10. The visitors have looked very slick, and have made the most of half-chances presented to them by the Lions, particularly late on. They scored ten points in the final 60 seconds there. The Lions have certainly showed flashes in attack, and you'd think they wouldn't be too disheartened by the half-time score, but there's certainly work to be done. A huge moment in the game. Albornoz makes the most of a turnover inside the Argentina 22. Carreras draws Marcus Smith in before passing to the onrushing fly half on the touchline, who goes under the posts and into the arms of his team-mates. The visitors lead 21-10. Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. Albornoz slots the simplest of penalties in front of the posts to make it 14-10, after a fair bit of pressure on the Lions line. The full back goes scampering after a kick and does well to collect it, but is under immediate pressure from the pursuing Argentinians. He grounds it for a five-metre scrum. Tom Curry is penalised for holding on at a ruck, and the Argentina fly half gratefully slots the three points. 11-10 to the visitors. That's why Aki is in the team. He receives the ball about ten metres out, makes to fling one out to the wing, checks inside and accelerates through three burly Argentinians to score the first Lions try of the summer. The conversion from Smith is good. Lions lead 10-8. Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. Argentina take the lead after some gorgeous footwork from Ignacio Mendy on the left wing. A nice missed pass finds Santiago Carreras, whose dummy draws in Marcus Smith. He flings it to Mendy who waltzes round the attempted tackle by Fin Smith for the game's first try. The conversion is missed, so it stays 8-3 to the visitors. Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. Fin Smith has a penalty from the ten-metre line, just to the right of the posts. It's a flush connection and sails through. Up go the flags and it's 3-3. A frantic start in Dublin. Argentina make significant ground after a bit of kick tennis, and win a penalty on the Lions five-metre line, which is duly knocked over for three. And we are under way. As the red smoke drifts away into the sunny Dublin sky, James Doleman's whistle calls a start to the Lions' summer. The Lions' assistant coach Richard Wigglesworth has accused the Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt of trying to distract touring side with jibe about nationality switches of Bundee Aki and Sione Tuipulotu, which the New Zealander called the 'southern hemisphere partnership'. The pair start for Andy Farrell's side tonight. Click here for more from Will Kelleher. The Edinburgh prop and walking anecdote machine qualifies to play for Scotland on residency grounds, but also has a family connection to the country. His great-grandfather's great-grandfather was a postman from Peebles, a town in the Scottish borders. Read Will Kelleher's rip-roaring interview with the loose-head, who starts on the bench for the Lions tonight. Fans are descending on the stadium in preparation for kick-off in about 30 minutes time, with a good few Argentina fans in the mix amongst all the red. Let's leave Dublin for a moment, and consider the state of play in Australia, where rugby union is competing with the hugely popular rugby league and Aussie rules for the nation's attention. Stuart Barnes believes a humiliating series defeat for Joe Schmidt's side could be the final nail in the coffin for the sport in the country. Despite a torrid time for the Welsh national team, the 25-year-old flanker has been a bright spark amid the despair, and starts for the Lions tonight. Read Steve James's piece on why the Wales captain deserves a spot in an incredibly competitive back-row set up. Fin Smith starts at fly half tonight, and his mum Judith will be in a unique position as she arrives at the Aviva Stadium, as her father, Tom Elliot, also played for the Lions. A connection between a grandfather and grandson has never happened in the 137 years of Lions tours. Read Alex Lowe's full exclusive interview with the 23-year-old, who fits surprisingly well into his grandad's Lions blazer. Maro Itoje and Tadhg Beirne start together tonight, with the pair striking up a bromance during the Lions training camp in Portugal this month. The Irishman Beirne reckons he is smarter, but slower, than his room-mate, but the two have a lot in common. Read Peter O'Reilly's full piece on the pair here. Andy Farrell has named his first squad of the summer, but who would make it into your starting team? Use our interactive selector tool to see how your picks compare with our writers'. History suggests that five players from the first Lions match will be in the squad for the first Test of the tour, which falls on Saturday, July 19 in Brisbane. In his analysis piece from this week, Will Kelleher looks at why tonight's game in 'Costa del Dublin' will shape Andy Farrell's thinking for the headline fixtures. Despite the vast majority being seasoned Test players for their countries, this summer's squad are pretty inexperienced when it comes to Lions rugby. Click here for a reminder of the full squad for the tour to Australia. Hello, bore da, dia duit and g'day! Welcome to the Times' live coverage of the first British and Irish Lions game of the summer. Argentina are the opponents in a sunny Dublin as Andy Farrell's side look to hit the ground running before leaving for their six-week tour of Australia. We'll be bringing you build-up before kick-off at 8pm and live updates from the Aviva Stadium throughout the game. A quick reminder of the XVs for tonight's match… Nine Englishmen, three Irishmen, two Scots and a Welshman make Andy Farrell's first squad as Lions coach. The visitors meanwhile, who are ranked fifth in the world, above all the home nations save Ireland, field a slightly weakened side, with several of their France-based players missing due to club commitments with the likes of Toulouse and Bordeaux-Begles, who are involved in the Top 14 play-offs. Full teams below.

Daily Mirror

4 hours ago

• Daily Mirror

Arsenal could replace Thomas Partey with surprise Premier League star

Arsenal are set to sign Martin Zubimendi but with Jorginho gone and Thomas Partey increasingly likely to depart too when his contract expires, the Gunners need additional reinforcements Brentford midfielder Christian Norgaard could attract the interest of Arsenal this transfer window. The 31-year-old has two years left on his contract with the Bees, having signed a new deal earlier this year. But he is among the midfield targets the Gunners could consider moving for this summer as they seek to bolster the middle of the park. ‌ Arsenal are poised to complete the signing of Spanish midfielder Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad but could lose Thomas Partey, whose deal runs out this month and is yet to sign a contract extension with the club. The Ghanaian played 52 times in all competitions under Mikel Arteta last season and his departure would mean Arteta's side would be in increased need of cover in the holding midfield position. ‌ It follows the departure of Italy international Jorginho, who has also exited the club this summer. He joined Brazilian side Flamengo after two-and-a-half years with Arsenal, and helped inspire them to victory over Chelsea in the FIFA Club World Cup on Friday night. Norgaard signed for Brentford in 2019 and was part of the team which won promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs in 2021. The Bees captain has been integral to the club securing five straight seasons of Premier League football. He played 34 times in the Premier League under former head coach Thomas Frank last season, who has since departed for Tottenham Hotspur to replace Ange Postecoglou. Norgaard has also been a regular for the Danish national team in recent seasons. Brentford would demand a sizeable fee for their skipper, however, with other key players including Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa also attracting interest from elsewhere. But given his age, if Arsenal made a move and Norgaard was interested in a final big move as his career advances towards its finale, then the Bees may allow him to exit for a cut-price fee. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. 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. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Telegraph

5 hours ago

• Telegraph

Sir Ian McGeechan: Cancer treatment has worked

Sir Ian McGeechan has given a positive update on his cancer diagnosis, saying 'the treatment has worked'. The British and Irish Lions legend revealed he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in an interview with Telegraph Sport last month. The Scot, who was Lions head coach for four tours, said then that he had undergone six weeks of radiotherapy treatment, and would have to wait another six weeks to discover whether it had been successful. Speaking to fellow Telegraph columnist Will Greenwood during Sky Sports' coverage of the opening Lions game against Argentina, McGeechan revealed he had since received good news about the condition. Asked about his health, McGeechan answered: 'All good, thank you, the treatment has worked. Fine.' Host Alex Payne added: 'So glad to hear that Geech has had the all clear'. McGeechan is perhaps the ultimate Lions legend after his unparalleled career both as a player and coach. The 78-year-old was inundated with messages after his Telegraph interview, with the game of rugby uniting to wish him well. McGeechan has been coaching at Doncaster Knights as he maintains his illustrious career in the game, some 51 years after he first went on a Lions tour as a player in 1974, before being selected again in 1977. McGeechan was then head coach in 1989, 1993, 1997 and 2009, as well as coach of the midweek side in 2005. When revealing his cancer diagnosis, McGeechan said he hoped his honesty would inspire others to get tested. 'I don't want to make a big thing of it, but it is important to get the message out about urging people to get tested,' he said. 'I said that to our players here. I said to them that they make sure they get themselves tested. If you are younger, it is more important. 'Hopefully this interview can be educational. What I would say to people is don't back off it. It is a blood test, it is not what you always think. Just get it done. I have good people looking after me. It is the very good side of the NHS. The staff of the Bexley Cancer Wing at St James's Hospital in Leeds have been brilliant. 'When I had my last treatment, from the receptionist to the radiographer, they all said: 'Well done, good luck, have a happy time.' Everyone. They all knew. When they are looking up your details and you are going on to your next step, it says which number of treatment is it, and it is what they say to every person when they get to their last treatment, which I think is great. That support and the environment is so positive. What will be, will be.'