Jose Mourinho reportedly wanted soon to be Tottenham coach Ledley King back in 2004

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Tottenham Hotspur are set to appoint Ledley King onto the backroom staff at the club, according to multiple reports. 

The London Evening Standard is reporting that the former Tottenham defender, a legend at the club for his ability and commitment to Tottenham, will enter the club’s coaching set-up. He will not directly replace current assistant and tactical analyst Ricardo Formosinho, who is leaving the club, but instead, head up a new role. 

King has been a club ambassador since his retirement from the game in 2012 and the 39-year-old’s appointment will no doubt have Tottenham fans excited.

But it should be no surprise to see Mourinho bringing King into the fold. 

Back in 2004, the Portuguese wanted to bring King to Chelsea to partner John Terry. 

As reported by The Guardian, Chelsea had a £20 million approach for King rejected by Spurs and they were said to be readying an alternative. That alternative ended up being Ricardo Carvalho, a move that ended up being a huge success for the Blues. 

Mourinho called King ‘fantastic’ that year, as reported by the London Evening Standard whilst The Mirror claimed that King had wanted to discuss a move to Chelsea with Mourinho before Tottenham informed him they would make him captain and move him back into centre-back from the defensive midfield role he had been playing. 

It is one of the only times that King’s loyalty to Tottenham looked like wavering and Mourinho would have been a major reason behind the wobble. 

Now, 16 years later, it looks like Mourinho will finally be getting his hands on King. Hopefully, it can be a match made in heaven and the defensive capabilities of Tottenham continue to improve as a consequence.