Ledley King has revealed how his temporary move from being club ambassador to a first-team coach came about at Tottenham a few years ago and has opened up on the emotions he went through during the 2020-21 season.
Ledley King had been a club ambassador for Tottenham Hotspur for a long time after hanging up his boots, but Jose Mourinho decided to add the Spurs legend to his coaching staff in the summer of 2020.
However, the Spurs legend’s foray into coaching was not to last long. Although he stayed on until the end of the season after Mourinho’s departure, he decided to return to his old role as a club ambassador at the end of the 2020-21 campaign.
King has previously admitted that he loved working with Mourinho, and he has now explained how the former Tottenham boss convinced him to join his staff.
Ledley King reveals Jose Mourinho was keen for him to join his Tottenham staff
The 44-year-old said that he did not have any particular ambition to get into coaching, but it was Mourinho who was extremely keen to have him on the training ground.
The former Spurs centre-back confessed that he was not going to say no to one of the best managers in modern football when he asked him to join his staff.
King told OLGB: “So for me, I’ve kind of enjoyed popping in and out (of coaching). Obviously, I had a spell with Jose Mourinho and the way that came about was I just bumped into him in the corridors at Tottenham and he asked me what I was doing.
“I explained to him I’m an ambassador and he said he wanted me on the training pitch. I said I’m not a coach and he said it doesn’t matter, he wanted me on the training pitch.
“You can’t turn Jose down. So initially I just started going in, watching a bit of training and eventually speaking to some players and eventually kind of watching video, breaking it down with them. This was just before COVID happened, so the season stopped.
“They had a break and then when they resumed and finished off the season, I kind of stayed away and they finished the season in the summer. I got a call from Jose saying he wants me to be part of his staff full-time for next season, so I couldn’t turn that down and yeah, I loved it. It was enjoyable.”
King admits he thought Spurs were going to win the Premier League
Tottenham started the 2020-21 campaign superbly and were sitting at the top of the table around December, and King admitted that he genuinely believed that the Lilywhites were going to win the league that campaign.
However, things would come crashing down over the next few months for the North Londoners, with Mourinho infamously being sacked just days ahead of Tottenham’s Carabao Cup final against Man City in April of 2021.
Speaking about his one season as a coach, King elaborated: “It took me back to my playing days and how it takes over your life. It really is a tough, tough, long season. The strange thing was that we started off the season unbelievably.
“We were playing in front of no fans, which was a shame. But I remember beating Arsenal 2-0 at home, Man City 2-0 at home, we went to Old Trafford and won 6-1.
“I thought we were going to win the league in December. I was actually starting to believe that we were going to win the league, but unfortunately, it kind of fell away and didn’t happen.
“But I enjoyed learning from Jose. I always just said to myself, if I ever go back into management or coaching, I’ve learned from one of the best. So I’ve got a good grounding to kind of fall back on and some great experiences to take me forward.
“So yeah, I did enjoy it. But again, you have to be so dedicated to it and I enjoy my role as an ambassador and that gives me a bit more flexibility at this moment. So I never say never, but at the moment I’m enjoying that.”
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