Des Kelly has become the second high-profile broadcaster to leave BT Sport ahead of their rebrand as TNT Sports later this month.
Kelly has been with BT Sport since their launch in 2013 and was their senior pitch-side interviewer. The broadcaster is set to rebrand as TNT Sports after Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) partnered with BT.
WBD already own Eurosport and they will be merged with BT to form the new TNT Sports ahead of the new Premier League campaign, with their first live game Arsenal's clash with Nottingham Forest on August 12. It has already been announced that lead presenter Jake Humphrey has departed, with his final broadcast last month's Champions League final clash between Manchester City and Inter Milan.
And the Daily Mail are now reporting that Kelly has followed Humphrey out the door, with the Champions League final also his final game with BT Sport. When Kelly first joined the broadcaster, he hosted his own show before transitioning to a pitch-side interviewer role.
In the role, Kelly had several memorable clashes with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and other managers and the report states that his departure came as a shock to his BT colleagues, who 'considered him an untouchable part of the team'.
It remains to be seen who will replace Kelly, but Laura Woods has been heavily rumoured as Humphrey's replacement after she left talkSPORT. And the 35-year-old recently addressed those rumours, admitting she has a "couple of offers" on the table.
"I know, I've seen a lot of articles, but I haven't signed anything,” she told The Sun. There are a couple of offers, but I've got a glorious month off now where I can sit down and start planning the next things.
"I don't want to rush into anything, I've never been able to have that privilege in my life before. Never. I have always been 100 miles per hour in my career. I used to have this work ethic of taking absolutely everything because I knew that it would teach me something.
"I didn't care what it was, I would do it, and it was brilliant. It definitely got me where I am now. But now, I have earned the right to take a step back and think: 'What is right for me next?'"
Meanwhile, Kelly's opposite number Geoff Shreeves, who worked as Sky Sports' tunnel reporter, has quit the broadcaster after 32 years. In a statement, Shreeves stated he has "new experiences" lined up already which he is "looking forward to announcing in the very near future".
