Sam Allardyce has reportedly signed up for the new series of ‘Celebrity Apprentice’.
The football manager – who left his role at Everton in May and has previously coached the England national team – is said to be set for the upcoming Comic Relief special of the reality show.
Lord Sugar is a big fan of football himself – having spent a decade as chairman of his beloved Tottenham Hotspur until 2001 – but he will be judging Sam’s skills as a businessman when they meet in the boardroom.
The Sun newspaper’s TV Bizarre column has reported the star will be part of an all-star cast when the celebrity edition of the BBC show returns for the first time since 2009.
As well as Allardyce – who follows the example of fellow manager and current ‘I’m A Celebrity’ campmate Harry Redknapp by moving to reality TV – the likes of Amanda Holden, Rylan Clark-Neal and Russell Kane are set for the special charity series.
It’s said will be joined by ‘X Factor’ judge Ayda Field following reports in June claiming she has signed up for the show.
An insider said at the time: "Ayda was flattered to be asked on ‘Celebrity Apprentice’.
"It’s another great chance for her to build her public profile on one of Britain’s best loved shows. It’s also one of her favourites.
"She’s competitive as well as intelligent and has a great sense of humour so producers thought she would be a perfect fit."
This will mark the third celebrity edition, with the first coming over a decade ago in 2007 and featuring ‘Good Morning Britain’ presenter Piers Morgan.
Speaking about his longtime rival, Lord Sugar previously claimed: "It was me that launched his television career – seriously, absolutely serious.
"He actually phoned me up when he heard ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ was on, and he said ‘please can I do it?’ and that’s the first time he appeared on television."