Sky Sports sacks Matt Le Tissier, Phil Thompson and Charlie Nicholas

Former footballers have been axed ahead of the new Premier League season as part of widespread cost-cutting measures across the broadcaster

Matt Le Tissier (right) has been axed by Sky Sports (Getty)

Matt Le Tissier has been axed by Sky Sports ahead of the 2020/21 season as part of cost-cutting measures across the broadcaster.

The former Southampton striker will no longer work on Sky’s coverage of the Premier League, which begins this weekend in the form of the Community Shield between Liverpool and Arsenal, after a decision was taken on Tuesday to end his contract.

Fellow ‘Soccer Saturday’ presenters Charlie Nicholas and Phil Thompson are among the other high-profile casualties, with Sky forced to slash its staff numbers due to the financial crisis brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

A Sky statement read: “We are changing some parts of our football coverage – Matt, Charlie and Phil have done a great job for us over the years, and they will leave us with our sincere thanks and very best wishes.”

Confirming his departure on Wednesday, Le Tissier wrote on Twitter: “Enjoyed my time at Sky Sports, time to look forward to life’s next challenge, thank you for the support down the years and special thanks to the backroom team which include @CazzaEccles @CarlyBassett @tvrevstats amongst many others, good luck all have a lovely day.”

Former Liverpool defender Thompson has been a part of Sky’s coverage since leaving the club from his position as assistant manager in 2004, and the 66-year-old issued his thanks to those responsible for producing Sky’s football coverage who he has worked alongside for the last 16 years.

“I’ve had a great 22 years with @SkySports,” Thompson wrote on Twitter. “Enjoyed every minute with some amazing people on the show and behind the scenes which made it the iconic show it is today.

“Good luck to Sky, Jeff, Merse and the new gang on @SoccerSaturday.”

The trio were a part of the popular ‘Soccer Saturday’ goals programme throughout their time with Sky, and also appear regularly on Sky Sports News to give their reactions to breaking stories throughout the day.

Le Tissier, Nicholas and Thompson were regulars on Sky's Soccer Saturday programme (Getty)

Fronted by presenter Jeff Stelling, ‘Soccer Saturday’ saw Le Tissier, Nicholas and Thompson join others including Paul Merson and Phil McNulty to provide live updates across the Premier League and English Football League every weekend, but financial restraints have forced Sky into a reshuffle that will see them absent from the new Premier League campaign, which gets underway on 12 September - despite having nearly 50 years of broadcasting experience between them.

Stelling, who confirmed that former Arsenal player Merson will remain involved with Sky’s coverage going forward, expressed his deep sadness with the news.

“One of my saddest days ever at Sky Sports with the departure of three of my best mates. They have been part of a team that for me was the best,” Stelling said on Twitter.

Le Tissier saw his future with Sky come under scrutiny recently following his decision to wear a Black Lives Matter badge despite expressing his own views on social media that he did not entirely agree with the gesture, while he also urged his followers to “look beyond the headlines and government propaganda” in a critical post about Boris Johnson’s government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

The comments triggered a number of complaints online to Sky Sports calling for his head, though the broadcaster is understood to have made this decision to release him from his contract without taking those complaints into consideration.