CAROLINE BARKER is in the final two to replace Jeff Stelling and land one of the hottest jobs in television.
Sky Sports will decide over the next few days whether Barker or Simon Thomas will be the new presenter of their cult results programme Soccer Saturday.
Sky SportsSocceer Saturday host Jeff Stelling is stepping down[/caption]
GettyCaroline Barker is in the final two to replace Jeff[/caption]
Insiders believe Simon Thomas is the favourite for the roleRex Features
Insiders believe the experienced Thomas is favourite for the role – but it is a close call, and has come down to a straight choice between the two.
Barker has won a host of admirers at Sky, primarily for her coverage of netball but also her ability to cover a variety of sports.
The broadcaster, also a regular on the BBC, led 5 Live’s coverage of the Women’s World Cup and was the first female presenter of Match Day Live for Premier League Productions.
Sky Sports legend Stelling presented Soccer Saturday from 1994 until his retirement at the end of last season.
Recently Jeff made a one-off Countdown comeback.
He appeared as the dictionary corner’s special guest while Rachel Riley put on a leggy display for his return.
Recent reports suggested Stelling had been in talks with Amazon and the BBC over a return to broadcasting.
We also revealed how Stelling has no plans to retire but had reportedly been placed on gardening leave after leaving Sky.
BackGridJeff, pictured with Rachel Rilley, made a one-off Countdown comeback recently[/caption]