Gary Lineker's Match of the Day replacement chosen by Jeff Stelling with warning to BBC

Jeff Stelling has expressed his firm belief that Mark Chapman is the ideal candidate to take over from Gary Lineker as the host of Match of the Day. The BBC has confirmed Lineker's departure at the end of the season, ending a 25-year tenure.

As speculation mounts about his successor, Stelling has voiced his support for Chapman, who currently hosts Match of the Day 2 and is already part of the BBC team. Despite reportedly turning down a job-share proposal involving Kelly Somers, Chapman is seen by Stelling as the perfect fit to step into Lineker's shoes.

Stelling shared with the Telegraph: "Chappers is the man for the job. Great presenter, nice sense of humour, good rapport with the guests, he's got to be the man, surely."

Having recently left his long-standing role on Soccer Saturday with Sky Sports, Stelling is recognised as one of the top sports presenters of his era. He has raised concerns about the shifting landscape of television, where demographics are playing a more significant role.

Nonetheless, Stelling maintains that the quality of the content should always take precedence over the pursuit of a particular demographic, criticising the rise of social media personalities in broadcasting, reports the Mirror.

"Demographics? I've never bought the stuff about a new demographic," he said. "It's a forlorn pursuit to look for a younger audience that probably aren't interested in the programme anyway by having younger presenters, influencers, social-media types. I've never believed that was the way forward."

"Call me old-fashioned, but I've always felt the way to attract an audience of any demographic is to make sure you put out a high-quality product. If the programme is watched by mums and dads in their forties, make sure it is good enough so that when the new generation reach their forties it is something they want to watch."

"If I'm going to hear somebody talking about a football match, I'd rather it was somebody who had played the game and is able to see things people like me standing on the terraces can't see, than is a big figure on social media."

The BBC have several candidates rumoured to be in the running for Lineker's position.

The ex-England star has communicated his preference to the corporation, yet has kept it under wraps. Names such as Chapman, Somers, Alex Scott, and Gabby Logan are among those being speculated upon.