The Arsenal legend is one of two new pundits to replace Ian Wright on Match of the Day
The BBC has announced that Theo Walcott and Joe Hart will replace Ian Wright as the new commentators for Match of the Day.
Arsenal icon Wright announced in December 2023 that it would be resigning from the hit BBC show after 27 years.
And Wright's role will pass from one to the other. Arsenal legend to another as Walcottwho played almost 400 games for the Gunners, takes charge.
The 35-year-old also played for Everton and Southampton in the Premier League during his career, but it was with Arsenal that he won his trophies, picking up two FA Cups and two Community Shields.
Walcott also became the youngest player to represent England in 2006, when he made his debut aged just 17 years and 75 days.
He retired from football in 2023 but will now enter the world of punditry by taking his place on the sofa alongside the show's regulars.
Gary Lineker will continue to host the show alongside regulars Alan Shearer and Micah Richards.
They will also be joined by Walcott's former England team-mate. Deer who played more than 300 games for Manchester City.
Hart also played for Tottenham, Burnley, West Ham and Birmingham City in the top flight, but it was with Celtic that he won most of his trophies.
He won seven titles during his three years at the Scottish club, before ending his career in May 2024.
Viewers may have already seen the former goalkeeper during Euro 2024 as Hart made several appearances on the field throughout the tournaments.
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The couple will surely have a lot to prove after Wright spent nearly three decades appearing on the show.
He made his debut on Match of the Day in 1997 and was given a regular commentating role on the show just five years later.
Having become a beloved name among pundits over the years, he has since spoken openly about his decision to leave Sky Bet. Stay with football podcast where he explained how the show's scheduling had put him under stress.
“It's time,” he said. “I had a dear friend who said that sometimes you have to know when to step back, change, rest, take a break and say no, it's just time.”
“As I am now, as I have to go back to London (after filming), it's like 3:30 in the morning, it's a long day. I leave at 8 in the morning and come back at midnight.
“I don't want to stay in Manchester. I used to, but there are personal reasons why I always want to come back home.
“Especially when you're on Match of the Day, you're live and I've had a massive problem before with people knowing where you are, so I always want to come home to my wife and the girls.
“After that, it only takes me two or three days to get ready and there are other things I'm doing that I sometimes don't have the energy for.
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“I'm getting older, I just want to make sure I use my time well and efficiently and at the moment, Match of the Day is the one that, if anything had to go, it had to be that.”
And while Walcott and Hart will be the newest faces on the show, Lynam admitted he believed Richards would be the most natural successor to Wright when the time came for her to become a series regular.
He said: “I think it's Richards, isn't it? He has a sense of humour and knows football.”
He added: “I think he needs to calm down a bit, but his opinions are pretty solid, although I don't think anyone can match Wrighty.”
Viewers will be able to see Walcott and Hart in action for the first time on Match of the Day when it returns after the first round of Premier League fixtures on Saturday 17 August.
They will have several highly-anticipated Premier League fixtures to look at, including Arsenal's opening game, when they host Wolves from 3pm on that day.
