'Caps don't win automatic work' - Laura Woods takes aim at Eni Aluko after ex-Lioness' latest dig at Ian Wright over women's football punditry

Aluko sparked controversy in April 2025 when telling former England striker Wright that he needs to be aware of “how much he's doing in the women's game”. She claimed that Wright’s presence was making it tougher for female pundits to break into the industry.

She has since apologised, but Wright has refused to accept her stance - with many siding with the Gunners legend. Aluko has been speaking out again, with Woods feeling the need to address comments that she believes are doing nobody any favours.

She said in a series of social media posts: “Caps don’t win automatic work and they don’t make a brilliant pundit either. The way you communicate, articulate yourself, do your research, inform your audience, how likeable you are and the chemistry you have with your panel are what makes a brilliant pundit.

“‘The women’s game should be by women for women’, is one of the most damaging phrases I’ve heard. It will not only drag women’s sport backwards, it will drag women’s punditry in all forms of the game backwards.

“If you want to grow something, you don’t gate keep it. We want to encourage little boys and men to watch women’s football too, not just little girls and women. And when they see someone like Ian Wright taking it as seriously as he does - they follow suit. That’s how you grow a sport.”

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Aluko worked alongside Woods as part of ITV’s team that covered the Lionesses’ successful defence of their European Championship crown in 2025. She did not work on the final, with Wright joining Karen Carney and Emma Hayes on screen.

Ex-Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha was part of the BBC pack, with Aluko telling the ‘90s Baby Show’ when airing her latest grievances: “Last year at the Women's Lionesses final, I'm sat in the stands, I wasn't on it for ITV for the final. Farah Williams was next to me. Farah Williams has 170 caps for England.

“The two broadcasters that had the rights, ITV, BBC. On BBC, you've got Ellen White, Steph Houghton and Nedum Onuoha. No offence to Nedum Onouha, nothing against him, I don't know whether he played for England or not. You're on the main panel for the final for England Women.

“Let's go over to ITV, I'm in the stands with 105 caps, so you have got two women with 290 caps, something ridiculous right. Right ITV, it's Ian Wright, Emma Hayes and Kaz Carney.

“So out of six spots, two have gone to men, meanwhile you have got 290 (caps) sitting in the stands. I have never done a final and I am probably going to struggle to think of any woman, female pundit, who has done a men's major final.

“I am talking about as a pundit, so something is not right there. Why are people like me and Faz (Fara) not there. It is nothing against Ian and nothing against them, I am just saying broadly speaking we need to be aware of that.”

Aluko added: “From my perspective we didn't go through all of that blood, sweat and tears for women to now be second place in our own sport. What are we doing? The women's game should be by women, for women. Male allies should absolutely support that, but when it gets to the point where you are the main character of the show, we are just repeating the patriarchal stuff we have been fighting against.

“Whoever that upsets, that upsets. I have always been protective about women's football. I was doing women's football when it didn't pay to do women's football. Now we are reaping the rewards, I am like, women should be winning right now.”

She went on to say of being overlooked for major roles within the men’s game: “The limited opportunities in the women's game are now being taken by men, but we can't go into the men's game and take the same opportunities. We are stuck. I can never do the men's final. The only way I have an opportunity to do a final is the women's final and now I can't do the women's final.

“What I represent for young girls who want to be footballers, who want to be broadcasters, is way more than Ian Wright represents. Again, I am not knocking Ian Wright, it is not even about him, it could be any man. It is really important that we keep an eye on premium opportunities. The issue I have with Ian is that in his position, he needs to clock what I am saying.”

Aluko has posted on her Instagram account, with it being confirmed that Wright does not want to accept her apologies: "As much as I didn't want to still be talking about Ian Wright nine months on, we're in this position because people have been weaponising his name against me and I am not willing to accept that any longer. The weaponisation of Ian Wright's name against me is why we are still talking about him.

"The reality is, we had an opportunity nine months ago to quieten this, to have an adult conversation and talk about our perspectives. When I apologised to Ian Wright publicly and privately, he had an opportunity to show the grace and allyship that he showed to many other people, and to prove that he is the ally that he says he is.

"Unfortunately my sincerity, my humility, was met with disrespect. He said 'I don't accept your apology' and he greenlit all of these other people to pile on, and to further abuse me for my opinion."

She added: "I want to put it out there publicly that I have always been open to having a conversation where we share perspectives, we talk, and we move on -- that's where I am at.

"I am a little bit disappointed to hear that there has been a 'I don't want to work with her,' this active choice that people are having to make, which is childish. I would never use my privilege to say, 'I don't want to work with that person.' I am open to a conversation. If it happens, great, if it doesn't, life moves on."

Aluko claims to have received limited offers since speaking out against Wright. The next major international tournament in the women’s game will be the World Cup in 2027 - which is heading to Brazil. Domestic and continental competition continues for now, with thrilling WSL and Champions League title races playing out in 2025-26.