Gary Lineker has admitted, tongue-in-cheek, that Roy Keane would be his dream signing for The Rest Is Football, praising the former Manchester United captain's "box office" appeal despite joking he "doesn't give you that much" analytically. Speaking at the Edinburgh TV festival, Lineker made the remarks even though Keane is part of a rival podcast operation, Gary Neville's The Overlap, highlighting the increasingly competitive and lucrative world of football punditry as major shows secure streaming deals with the likes of Netflix and Disney.

Lineker noted that The Rest Is Football topped Netflix's daily top 10 chart throughout its 40-day World Cup run and drew more than 7 million monthly streams last season, prompting him to jibe that Neville's team was "languishing miles behind". He also used the appearance to defend his willingness to speak out on political issues, particularly Gaza, after criticism from the Telegraph over a repost concerning an anti-Zionist activist, saying he felt compelled to use his platform when moved by humanitarian concerns.