Former Tottenham captain Ledley King in discussions to join club's first-team staff
Ledley King is in talks to join Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur staff after the Portuguese revealed his tactical analyst Ricardo Formosinho will leave the club at the end of the season.
Formosinho is leaving to take a head coach job elsewhere and Mourinho said his replacement has “a history and connection with the club” without revealing the candidate’s identity.
Tottenham also refused to comment on who would be joining Mourinho’s staff, but Telegraph Sport understands King is currently in discussions to take up a new role.
The hugely popular former captain has been working as a Tottenham ambassador, a job he has occupied for eight years, having stayed at the club following his retirement in 2012.
King will not take the same job title vacated by Formosinho and is unlikely to work as an official first-team coach, with the exact nature of the job he takes on still being discussed.
But the 39-year-old is expected to join Mourinho’s first-team staff in some capacity and play a more prominent role in preparation for games and specific opponents.
King’s defensive expertise has already been embraced by Mourinho, who has used him to offer guidance and advice to the Tottenham defenders from whom he commands the highest of respect.
Regarded as one of the most talented players in the club’s modern history, King’s playing career was interrupted by knee injuries that meant he could often not train with the rest of the squad.
During a 13-year playing career with Spurs, he won the 2008 League Cup and was a favourite of chairman Daniel Levy, who made a point of rewarding him with new contracts despite his injury problems.
Formosinho has been part of Mourinho's technical staff since 2016, when he was appointed as Manchester United's senior technical scout. The 63-year-old Setubal native previously coached alongside Mourinho at FC Porto and served as part of the scouting department at Real Madrid.
