Graeme Souness reportedly set to quit Sky Sports at end of the season

Souness has been working with Sky for 16 years

Graeme Souness is reportedly set to step down from his role at Sky Sports at the end of the season. Souness has been working as a pundit for Sky for 16 years but has featured more sporadically on the broadcaster's coverage of the Premier League this season. The Athletic have reported that the former Liverpool star, who usually signs three-year contracts, only put pen to paper on a one-year deal and will step back from his role at the end of the season. Souness has regularly featured on coverage of top-flight, European and international games since 2006. He joined shortly after leaving Newcastle United, marking an end to a career in management which lasted 20 years. The ex-Scotland international received criticism for his comments after Chelsea's 2-2 draw against Tottenham back in August while sat next to Karen Carney. "Referees are letting a lot more go and it allows for a better watch,” he said. “It’s a man's game all of a sudden now." https://twitter.com/itsthepidgehere/status/1558878412370059265?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1558878412370059265%7Ctwgr%5E7a68e8c92b07e51453537ac6375cc4fe1a9bb497%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.joe.co.uk%2Fsport%2Fgraeme-souness-criticised-for-mans-game-comments-while-sat-next-to-karen-carney-353950 Sky agreed a new deal in May 2021 which will see them show 128 live Premier League matches from 2022 to 2025. As part of the new contract, it seems the broadcaster are looking to reshuffle their punditry line up. The likes of Matt Le Tissier, Phil Thompson and Charlie Nicholas were all axed from the Soccer Saturday programme and replaced with the likes of Sue Smith, Clinton Morrison and Michael Dawson and several others. As well as working for Sky, Souness has also worked for the likes of Rangers TV and ITV in recent years, working for the latter on their coverage of England vs Scotland at the 2020 European Championships last year. Away from the television screens, the 70-year-old is also a regular guest on TalkSPORT. Related links:

• Graeme Souness describes criticism of Harry Maguire as ‘vile’
• Graeme Souness accuses new Brighton boss of insufficient knowledge of Premier League
• Graeme Souness ‘doesn’t regret a word’ of ‘man’s game’ comments that sparked sexism row