One on One | Sessegnon talks about dealing with hype, his move to Tottenham and 'coming home' to Fulham!

0:02We could be here for hours talking about it was a real up and down journey. At that time I knew I was young but I didn't feel like it was crazy what I was doing until I see videos of it now and I look back and I think yeah what I was doing at 16 was actually crazy. To describe my time there it was a rollercoaster you know and Tottenham fans probably saw glimpses of what I could do and never really saw me on the pitch anyway it was just frustrating for me. It was a homecoming, obviously really missed the club when I was away. I always said that I would hope there would be a possibility for me to come back at any point and for it to be a reality was crazy for me.

0:46Welcome to One on One from Sky Sports, the podcast where we chat to some of the brightest stars in the Premier League. I'm Joe Tomlinson, there's no jewels today and I've been lucky enough to travel to Fulham's Mott Spur Park training ground to chat to the one and only Ryan Sessegnon. And boy, do we use the word journey to describe some footballing careers. And even though he's not really travelled that far, Ryan Cesar John's career to date has certainly been that a journey. It's full of ups and downs. And as he says himself, it's really been a roller coaster. Some people might well not remember, but Ryan is the definition of a proper wonder kid.

1:21He came through the ranks of the Fulham Academy to the first team at 16 years old, and he set all of the records along the way. After winning multiple accolades, he helped Fulham back to the Premier League in 2018 before a really high-profile move to Tottenham Hotspur. To use the rollercoaster analogy again, he was definitely on the up. But that's where things started to go, I suppose you could say, a little downhill for Sessignon. A series of injuries as well as changes to the manager meant his playing time was really quite limited. So after going out on loan, he eventually found his way back to Fulham for what he would describe as his homecoming.

1:54So as you'll hear, Ryan talks about how his career has really come full circle. he discusses his quite incredible sporting family, his brothers all play, so does his nephew, and how he's learnt to live with the hype. This is my one-on-one with Ryan Sessegnon.

2:27and not many chances. Ryan Sessegnor takes his chance. Ryan, thank you so much for joining me. We're here today to look back on your career a little bit. To hype you up, I think is the fair way of putting it, because at Fulham, you're becoming a bit of a club legend at this stage. And you've been here for so long now. I wanted you to take yourself back to when you first arrived. Do you remember that day? Do you remember being scouted by Fulham? Vaguely, yes. I remember doing a trial. there was like a goals not too far from here me and my brother I remember my mum taking us down there doing like a six weeks trial and then yeah I remember getting the news that we've been accepted into the academy and then yeah just coming here to Motso Park and then starting up in the under nines because obviously you were here with your brother as well you've got a serious talented family man like I was looking at the amount of players in your family that are footballers How many is it?

3:21Name it, rattle them off. So, me, Stephen, my brother Chris played semi-pro as well. Okay. I've got a nephew that's in the academy at Fulham here as well. Under 15s, I believe he is. Yeah, 15s. I have a cousin that was at Chelsea as well. And yeah, my other nephews have dibbled and dabbled in football as well, but not to a certain level. Were your parents, like, sporty? Is that where this comes from? Your dad's under football? It's like, what's going on? What's in the water? It's weird, isn't it? I don't know. No, none of them were sporty. Just something in the genes, I guess. Yeah, absolutely.

3:55Your nephew said now he's 15 in the academy. We've literally got a session, your lineage developing here at Fulham. You must feel so close to this club. Yeah, I do, of course. It's my home. Like you said, I've been here for a very long time. Obviously, I went away and then come back. So, yeah, it's always been home. When you were trialling first time round, were you playing up front, I remember? Yeah, in the younger age groups. I played all over, to be honest. But I always had an instinct for goals in a younger age group than I would say probably around under 14s, 15s I started getting pushed back a little bit playing left back and then I had a good engine and could always arrive in the box and stuff like that so that's why I ended up playing How did you find that move going from probably scoring loads of goals to moving towards the back end of the pitch was that fine for you or do you remember being like this is jarring No I remember it being quite fine because I think in my age group I was never the most technically gifted or skilled for anything like that but I always like made good decisions so I feel like from defence to attack I could really turn it over quite quickly so and then they saw that from a young age and then yeah I managed to just develop my my craft a little bit defensively attacking and then found a balance from there So obviously you worked your way up through the age groups do you remember getting your first pro contract do you remember sitting in the room and them saying okay yeah we are going to give you terms Yeah, so I actually got told quite early that we were going to get given, me and my brother were going to get given pro contracts.

5:23It was around, I think I was like 14. Wow, that's young man. Yeah, it was really young. It was really young. So I got told I was going to get like a scholar and then I think it was like a two year pro or something like that. But then things progressed quickly and obviously at 16 I was in the first team already so I was playing but without a professional contract and then on my 17th birthday that's when I I signed and then, yeah, it went from there. That is a serious thing for people at home that don't realise 14 is like crazy young to be talked about in terms of pro terms. What was it like stepping up then into that first team situation?

5:55You said you were training there at 16. Was that a scary place, that daunting for you? A little bit because the first time I trained, I was 15, still in school. When they told me to come over on like a Friday session. And I remember the 18s coach at the time, Steve Wigley, telling me that I was going to train. And I was obviously happy but really nervous at the same time. and then yeah I did the session I was okay it wasn't too much I think it was one of those ones where small side of the game corners and then it's done you know so I did that and then I remember the following season I think he must have obviously liked what he saw a little bit Slavisa Yekhanovic and then I was with the first team for pre-season the following season so yeah just started from there Who was in amongst that team that people at home might remember and you were looking at and thinking wow I'm training alongside here serious players Scott Parker was there yeah Scott Parker he must have been a leader in the dressing room yeah because obviously now he's a manager in the he must have been serious leadership material about that yeah he was the captain there was Ross McCormack was in there Holly Woodrow were you intimidated by these players in training or were you you said you're the engine you like you like to get involved were you just straight in I wasn't intimidated I was just happy to be a part of it you know and I just wanted to do well and obviously I looked up to some of these players as well.

7:13Yeah, absolutely. And then obviously you go on to make your debut quite young as well. That experience, did you have your family there in the stadium watching you? No, my family wasn't actually. What? It was because it was away at Leighton Orient in the Cup but what made it better was other academy products made their debuts as well as well as me. So, there was Theo Eden, Luca De La Torre and Dennis Odenaran made our debuts together. Yeah, and then Scott Parker actually started that game as well so he kind of like pushed us through the game a little really got you on a grip in the net yeah kind of thing yeah I can I can certainly imagine obviously you kind of flourished from there because I was looking at some of the records you were breaking in the championship in around that time absolutely ridiculous the first player born in the 2000s to score a goal for a first team in the EFL the youngest ever championship scorer at the time what was it like when these sort of records start falling and you're feeling that pressure yeah well do you know what it wasn't even pressure it was just enjoyment and I feel like at that time it was crazy what I was doing but I didn't realise it until I got a little bit older after.

8:18At that time I knew I was young but I didn't feel like it was crazy what I was doing until I see videos of it now and I look back and I think yeah what I was doing at 16 was actually crazy. Yeah it is because I was doing this podcast a couple weeks ago with Josh King and he was saying like I'm looking up Ryan, he's almost in that sort of saving area now isn't it Do you see that sort of like yourself in him? I do. And I try to guide him and look after him as much as I can as well because what he's going through now, I've been through it as well. So I do see a little bit of my journey in him and I'll always be there trying to help him.

8:54Yeah, a bit like him, obviously you went with England this summer. You obviously had massive success. Didn't you? 2017 under 19 Euros. Let's take it back to that tournament a little bit because I was looking at some of the names in the England squad. Yeah, it's crazy. That was a team. Some of the names in that team. I think Rhys James was in there, wasn't he? Mason Mount was in there. What was it like to be amongst that group? Yeah, it was crazy. Obviously I'd been playing with these guys from a young age and a younger age groups as well. So yeah, in that time we had a good team. Like you said, Mace and Reece, Marcus Edwards.

9:23Lucas Metro was in there. Yeah, Lucas Metro was in there. It was a lot of good names that have obviously gone on to do great things in the game as well. So a really good time. Yeah, and obviously the standard, like not just the England team. I was again looking at some of the other side, but it was Raffaella was there. I think Diego Dalo was there, Victor Jokeres was there. Yeah, he was. Which is well, but you went on to win it. I think you were joint top scorer in the tournament. So how do you think that kind of experience shaped you around that time? Was it a big learning curve? Yeah, very much so.

9:54I think around that time, obviously I was doing well for Fulham as well. And I was just full of confidence and it kind of shaped me into the player I am today. But it was a massive, massive experience. Yeah, because I think the season afterwards, you went supernova, didn't you? You were winning Championship Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year, scoring a bunch of goals and you were playing a little bit higher at that stage, weren't you? That's almost like a left wing role when you were a left back. Was that a big shift for you to play that and then have that big explosion of goals and assists?

10:24It wasn't a big shift because, like I said before, I'd been used to playing a bit further forward anyway. But when I did get the shift in that season to go to left winger, it happened quite naturally I remember we got Matt Target on load sorry not on load yeah you did we bought Matt Target sorry in January of that season then when he came left back he pushed me further forward and yeah from there it was pretty much we had a good relationship on the left so yeah he would cover me a lot and I would just attack and then yeah score a lot of goals and obviously I think that was the season as well we had the Wembley trip that was the assist for Tom Kearney in the final as well that's a massive moment like do you look back of that sort of being one of like best moments in your career life.

11:06People underestimate Wembley don't they, playoff final. It's top three for me for sure, best three moments in my career. Sessignon has done beautifully, oh and Kearney puts it away. Full house at Wembley. Support was crazy that day, important game for the club and yeah, we managed to do it and then bring Fulham back to the Premier League. I think people do underestimate don't they, like playoff final, if you haven't ever experienced a playoff final live, people talk about being like one of the most expensive games of football but in terms of the atmosphere and the fan reaction, Fulham fans must have been on a different planet.

11:39And you yourself being a player that comes through the academy, was a crazy day. Really crazy. We called it the white war that day. So everyone turned up in their Fulham shirts. And it's eight years ago now. It's crazy. It's gone so quick. But I remember that day a lot. And obviously stepping up to the Premier League, did you immediately notice the jump? Yes. Really? Yeah, yeah. Straight away. Really? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, because I remember our first game was Palace home. Obviously, Palace had been in the Premier League a little bit longer than Fulham at that time. And just some of the names, for example, I think it was Zaha playing that day, Wan-Bissaka, all that kind of stuff.

12:15And yeah, the level we knew straight away was shifted very dramatically. For me anyway, I can't speak for everyone. Who were you up against on that side? Was it where? Wan-Bissaka. I was playing left wing. Oh, yeah, yeah. I was against Aaron Wan-Bissaka. And obviously, everyone, he's known for slide tackling. So he wasn't giving me a yard the whole game, he was really tight on me. But yeah, it was difficult and then we obviously lost the game. And you go from there and then the next game is Tottenham away and it's like another level again. So yeah, it was really difficult but I enjoyed the experience.

12:46And there was big comparisons going on for you at that time, wasn't there? There was big comparisons to Gareth Bale where you pushed a little bit further forward. How were you dealing with that pressure at that time as a player? I liked the comparison but I never... I liked Gareth Bale as a player, he was one of the players I looked up to as well, but I never tried to compare myself with him ever. A lot of people tried to make the comparison but we were very different. It was nice to hear but I didn't see it as a pressure. And then you ended up going to Tottenham a little bit like Gareth. How did you find that move?

13:17Because now you look back on it, how do you reflect on your time there? We could be here for hours talking about it. It was a real up and down journey, mainly because of injuries but yeah the five years I had there I had one year on loan in Germany and the other four I was in and out injuries at five managers there it was it was a lot of change you know that I wasn't used to and I was young as well so I was trying to learn from from players or managers but a lot of things changed quite quickly and then it's almost like you're trying to pay catch-up and then it was too hard towards the end yeah obviously I don't think some people will technically appreciate how hard it is when, as a youngster, you're being injured constantly.

14:01At the moment, you've got a bit of a hamstring injury, but overall, your time this season, you've been way fitter. Have you played a massive part in your time? 100%. If I was fit and firing and playing, getting minutes, of course, my time there would have been much different. But every time I got in a good flow, I think the most football I played was under Conte. I remember the season, we were fighting Arsenal for fourth and I played a run of games, did well. We managed to clinch fourth and then the following season started well again up until the World Cup year and then I got injured just before that.

14:34And then you get into the habit of, unfortunately, picking up these things and you can't build a momentum again. So I just, to describe my time, it was a rollercoaster, you know, and Tottenham fans probably saw glimpses of what I could do, never really saw me on the pitch anyway, which was frustrating for me. Yeah, obviously you mentioned that alone to the Bundesliga, that has had different levels of success for different players. How did you find going out on loan to a different league? I enjoyed it. It was good for me. I remember Mourinho was the one that sent me on loan when he was there at Tottenham.

15:06And it was a great opportunity for me to go and just play at that time. I needed games. Everything was perfect in terms of the club, the environment was perfect for me to go and play. The manager, Sebastian Harness, was very good with me. The only thing was, it was COVID. So I couldn't play in front of any fans. It was empty. It was tough. but on a footballing point of view was good. It's interesting because Stoepernes has done such a good job looking at him like a Stuttgart team now. Yeah exactly. They're absolutely ridiculous. What were the differences between the Bundesliga you noticed to the Premier League?

15:37Intensity, Premier League so much more high intensity. I found that there was a lot of counter-attacks in the Bundesliga. Yeah a lot of spaces so I feel like the longer the game went on if you had good timing and good energy towards the end of the games you can literally run in behind a lot more and try win games towards the end whereas in the Premier League it's a little bit more difficult it is a bit up and down sometimes apparently but I feel like spaces are a lot smaller for sure. Okay to some breaking transfer news now and Fulham have completed the signing of Ryan Sessignon he was a free agent after his contract at Tottenham expired at the end of last month.

16:17Back in the Premier League now what was that like rejoining Fulham man because that must have been a big moment for you obviously Fulham boy family or nephews playing here when you got the call it must have been like oh yes yeah it was amazing it was a homecoming yeah obviously really missed the club when I was away I always said that I would hope there would be a possibility for me to come back at any point and for it to be a reality was crazy for me for my family and yeah jumped at the opportunity But again, it was a homecoming. It was a risk as well. A lot of people might think, obviously, because at that time I hadn't played a lot of football, so not many people knew what they were going to get.

16:58Were they going to get the Ryan Session from before? Were they going to get the one that was at Tottenham who didn't really play? So it was a risk, but I knew I was coming home to an environment where they know me. I obviously still have to prove myself again and stuff like that. But I'm happy I made the right decision. Yeah, obviously playing great football this season. How much of a role has Marco Silva played in that for you? Because he must have been a big reason for your return, right? Definitely. He called me and obviously persuaded me to come back home and stuff like that. And I always knew that he was a good manager anyway as well.

17:30So for me to come back and he managed me perfectly in the first season, last season well. I didn't start or play many games, but when I did, it was perfect timing. And he knew what he was doing with me. And yeah, this season as well, played pretty much every game. and I'm happy with how it's going.

18:04What are the aims for this season then? From your personal point of view, what do you look at this season and think if we finish and I do this, I've had a good season? I try to be involved in every game possible from a personal point of view and obviously the team, we just, it's a little bit rocky at the moment, but we still have full belief in our team and in the manager. So we just need to take it game by game and start pushing up the table again. Right, top man. Love that bro. Cheers. Thank you very much. I think when you listen to that, it's really clear that you are speaking to an experienced pro, but he's still just 25 years old.

18:38It feels like I've been watching Ryan play football forever. I think it's really telling that he was offered his first professional contract at just 14 years old. Let's not understate how impressive he was when he was young and how impressive it's been to get back to playing a consistent level at Fulham. I also thought it was really interesting his praise for Marco Silva, who has clearly had a massive influence on his return to the club and how he is hopeful of having a massive influence on some of the young players he sees in his shoes, like the brilliant Josh King. If you haven't listened to that one-on-one with Josh King on this very podcast, I suggest you go back and listen to it right now because he himself is one of the best speakers of any player in the league for a 17 year old.

19:23What an incredible character he is learning from in Ryan Sessignon and what an incredible character he could well become.

19:32OK, so there we go. Another episode of one on one in the bag. If you'd like to watch my interview with Ryan, you can find it on the Sky Sports YouTube channels, Sky Sports News and across our socials. Of course, there are plenty more episodes of the one-on-one podcast to listen to as well. And we've got some more great episodes coming your way. So make sure you follow us wherever you listen to your podcast. If we don't catch you again before Christmas, have a great time. Thanks very much for listening, everybody. We'll see you later.

20:01Hello, I'm Nasser Hussain. And I'm Mike Atherton. And they've let us loose in Australia for the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast. As well as our regular pods out here, we'll also bring you daily shows during each Ashes test. Let's just hope we're doing a bit more talking than the last test. So for the best analysis, expert opinion and fantastic guests, make sure you follow Sky Sports Cricket. Available wherever you get your podcasts.