Joe Thomlinson

Hello and welcome back to One on One, the podcast where the Premier League's biggest names come in for a chat.

I'm Joe Tomlinson and remember on the last podcast I said I wouldn't speak to you again for a couple of weeks unless we had some news.

Well, we have some news because on the last day of 2025, I went to see Callum Wilson at the West Ham United training ground and we had an absolutely delightful chat.

But as Sky Sports News reported, it seems that Callum won't be hanging around at the Hammers for very long as the club look towards their fight to stay in the Premier League.

Wilson only joined West Ham from Newcastle in the summer.

Before the Magpies, he made a name for himself, banging them in for Bournemouth when he won the championship and worked under the brilliant Eddie Howe.

Working backwards through his football timeline, Bournemouth had picked the striker up from his hometown club of Coventry City, which included a couple of non-league loans.

But it was Callum's early career that I wanted to talk to him about most, because unlike a lot of professional footballers these days, he was actually playing grassroots football until his late teens.

So this is a proper, proper footballing journey, from Sunday League to League One, on to the Championship and the Premier League, and even a World Cup with England.

Truly fairytale stuff.

So as he seemingly prepares to embark on the next phase of his remarkable career, and with one eye still on another World Cup this summer, this is my one-on-one with Callum Wilson.

Cal, thank you very much for joining me today.

I really want to touch on your career because it's really interesting, the grassroots journey to where you are today.

Not every player in the Premier League has a journey like yours.

So let's touch on your youth career to start with, because it was different to many players, wasn't it?

There was a lot of grassroots in there.

What is it like when you're that age and clubs are saying no to you?

Because it happens a lot.

Loads of footballers experience it.

But then to drop out of the system as well and go grassroots Sunday league for a little bit, that's very different.