Joshua King: "I prefer to speak on the pitch"
One To Watch
Scorer of three goals and an assist in the last four games, Toulouse FC striker Joshua King is well and truly on his way. Here, he speaks about the Norwegian national team, Pogba, Haaland, his ex-teammate Rosenior and more…
You have three goals and an assist in your last four games with Toulouse FC. It looks like a successful adaptation…
When you arrive at a new club, especially at the end of the transfer window, you need a little time to feel in shape. It's normal and that's what I said a few days before scoring. I feel better and better physically and in my game. I understand better and better how my teammates like to play and they also understand me more. Everything is going very well for the moment but we must not stop there of course, we must continue to work to create these automatisms.
"Moussa Sissoko didn't lie to me"
And what about your adaptation to the city of Toulouse?
Everything is very easy here. It's probably the city where I've had the easiest time adapting since the start of my career. I spoke with Moussa Sissoko (his teammate at Watford in 2021/2022, 220 professional matches with Téfécé) before signing here and he strongly advised me to come. He told me that the city was great, that the atmosphere was relaxed and that my family would like it there. He didn't lie to me!
What challenges have you had to overcome since your arrival?
To be honest, there are no particular difficulties here, especially because everyone speaks English. The only challenge that exists is to make sure that you are physically at your best as quickly as possible. For a few weeks now, I've finally been able to play full matches, whereas that hadn't happened to me since... I don't even remember when. It must have been a year or a year and a half ago... That's really the only thing that matters to me: getting back to my best physical level.
You've spent most of your career in England, what surprised you the most in Ligue 1 McDonald's?
I wasn't surprised at all. I knew Ligue 1 and I knew it was a physical league, with a lot of speed in the game. It's a different style from what I've known in Turkey and the Premier League of course, but it's not for nothing that it's one of the five major European leagues. It's a tough league but, once again, I wasn't surprised.
"I never talked much in the locker room"
In the Téfécé squad, there are many different nationalities and many young players. During your career, have you ever played the role of big brother?
A little in the Norwegian team because many players were very young. But even though I'm 32, in my head, it's as if I were 27 or 28. I try to help the youngsters as much as possible but I also don't want to go to players who don't need help. If a player from the team or someone from the club comes to me for advice, I'm happy to help. It's true that I'm the most experienced in the group with Djibril Sidibé but I've never talked much in the locker room. It's not in my personality. I prefer to talk on the pitch, especially to trigger the pressure and help the team defend, because we, the attackers, are the first defenders. It’s up to us to set the tone for the rest of the team.
Which young players come to you?
It depends… I talk to Warren Kamanzi, Yann Gboho, Aron Dønnum… Afterwards, I talk to everyone, whether it’s Vincent Sierro, who has a lot of experience, or Ümit Akdag, even if he’s a defender and I’m a striker. But I don’t wander around among the guys acting like I’m a coach. If you come to ask me for advice, fine, but if you don’t need it, no problem!
“Liam Rosenior was very cool with me”
At the start of your career, at Hull City, during the 2011/2012 season, you played with a certain Liam Rosenior…
Is that the same Liam Rosenior?! I didn’t even notice! It’ll be fun to see him again. He’s a good guy. And to tell you, he was very cool with me at the time. He was one of the old guys at Hull and he was very nice. He was one of those who helped the new guys to integrate. I knew he had become a coach but I didn't know he was coaching in France.
Is this the first time you're going to find yourself facing a former teammate who has become a coach?
Yes, but I've already played against a coach who had coached me. I had Ole Gunnar Solskjær as a reserve coach at Manchester United before playing against him, when he came back to coach the club's first team and I was at Bournemouth and Everton.
"With Ancelotti? Not a good time for me"
You played under coaches like Carlo Ancelotti, Claudio Ranieri, Jorge Jesus and Sir Alex Ferguson. Who did you progress the most with?
With Eddie Howe, by far! I arrived at Bournemouth at a time when I needed to improve in certain areas and he helped me do that. When I signed there, I knew how to play as a centre-forward or a winger and he wanted me to be able to play in support of the striker. Thanks to him, I improved in terms of my runs, pressing, withdrawal… Eddie Howe was able to get the most out of a group where there were no stars. He is a very meticulous coach, who knows how to perfectly organise a week of training in view of the upcoming match… The attention he pays to every detail is crazy and what he has managed to do at Newcastle speaks volumes about his value.
And the others?
Jorge Jesus is incredible tactically. It is a real challenge to work with him because he asks a lot of his players. Alex Ferguson? He’s a football legend of course but I’d be lying if I said it was incredible to be under his command because I must have only trained about ten times with the first team. I was in the reserves during his last years at Manchester United. As for Carlo Ancelotti, he’s one of the best managers in the world. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a good time for me when we were together at Everton because I simply didn’t play much. I arrived there in the middle of the season, which is never easy… That doesn’t prevent Ancelotti from being a legend, too. It’s well known that he’s very popular with the players for his human management.
"The most impressive? Paul Pogba!"
During your career, you had as teammates players like Erling Haaland, Martin Ødegaard, Arda Güler, James Rodríguez, Marco Reus, Paul Pogba... Who was the most impressive?
That's a good question... Probably Paul Pogba. What a talent! I may be biased because he's my friend. I'm also very happy that he can play again from March. But I also want to mention Martin Ødegaard. I respect him enormously because he arrived at Real at only 16 years old, which is anything but easy, he was loaned several times, and today, he is one of the best midfielders in the world and the captain of Arsenal. It's really not easy, when there is so much expectation around you, to struggle and then manage to get back to the top.
You are well placed to understand what Martin Ødegaard went through, you who also arrived at Manchester United at 16 years old…
It’s hard to compare because, when I signed for Manchester, it was to join the training center. He arrived at Real Madrid, the biggest club in the world, as part of a highly publicized transfer. Everyone was talking about him at the time. And to manage to reach the top after several complicated seasons, when there is so much pressure around you, it requires enormous mental strength. He is an incredible player but he is an even more incredible person.
“Haaland has remained the same, he is just a little richer now!”
To now talk about the Norwegian team, with whom you have more than 60 caps, you were in the front row for Erling Haaland’s big debut in the national team since, for his first cap, in 2019, you were starting in attack with him. How does it feel to witness the explosion of such a phenomenon?
It’s super funny to see a guy who comes from Bryne, in the middle of nowhere in Norway, succeed in doing what he does. Erling is still the same kid he was when I met him, he’s just a little richer now (laughs). It’s really great that he’s managed to keep his feet on the ground even though he scores three goals in every game. Hats off, really. I think he’s going to continue to break all the records and, for me, he’s the best number 9 in the world at the moment.
You’ve scored 20 goals in 62 games for Norway to be exact but you haven’t been called up since June 2022. What are you missing to return to the national team?
Nothing, I don’t need anything. I’m only focused on Toulouse at the moment. And if I am called up to the national team, great, it will always be a great pleasure to represent Norway, which I did for 10 years. But, honestly, I don’t think about it at all, I am 100% focused on Toulouse. The coach makes his choices but it’s not something that keeps me awake at night, I am very happy at the moment and I really like playing here.
“I have become too old to bear the pain of tattoos”
Like other players, you have a lot of tattoos, including Nelson Mandela, Bob Marley, Mohamed Ali… What’s next?
(Laughs). I don’t know! I am now 32 years old and my last tattoo must be 4 or 5 years ago. I have become too old to bear this pain!
You played for a long time with the Polish goalkeeper Artur Boruc, who is known for having a very particular tattoo…
Yes, the famous monkey (laughs), but you will be disappointed, I never saw it because he had already had it covered when we played together (it was a monkey leaning forward, the player's navel representing the anus of the animal).
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