Real Betis were keen to sign Leeds United’s Mateo Joseph throughout much of the summer window.
The 21-year-old essentially went on strike at Leeds to force a move to Real Betis, but they never made concrete advances. This allowed RCD Mallorca to enter the race, and they were able to quickly wrap up the deal to sign him on a dry loan.
Last month, the Leeds owned player said Mallorca manager Jagoba Arrasate played a big role in his transfer.
He’s echoed that now during a detailed chat with Diario de Mallorca, a newspaper local to the La Liga club, and adds that Mallorca sporting director Pablo Ortells also played a role in his loan move.
The duo were able to explain things the striker wasn’t aware of about himself.
“I had a conversation with Ortells and Jagoba in which they showed me the complete confidence they have in me. In some ways, they knew me almost better than I did, and that made me feel very good. I also made this decision with all my heart,” he said.
When asked to explain what those points were, Joseph said: “Everything they saw that I could exploit in my game, my characteristics, and how they can get the best out of me. I agreed, and that was important to me because they’ll try to get the most out of me, and I’ll give my all, so I think it always has to have a happy ending.”
The Whites man has played 200 minutes from three games for the La Liga club and is yet to score or register an assist.
Leeds signed the Spain U21 international from Espanyol in 2022, when Victor Orta was the sporting director at Elland Road.
The newspaper points out that Orta and former Leeds technical assistant Gaby Ruiz came to Spain to convince him to join the English club.
“Yes. Everything they told me when they came to see me has come to fruition. They’re two great people, they had a lot of faith in me, and I’m very grateful for that and I wish them the best,” he added.
“It’s a change [move to Leeds], which we believe was for the better, at a club in the Premier League at the time that was calling and offered a very interesting project. It’s gone very well, and I’ve learned a lot from my time there.”
Joseph, however, didn’t seem too pleased to live in the English city.
When asked what it’s like living in Leeds, he said: “It’s not the same. There aren’t as many things to do, but I knew it was the place I needed to be at that moment. It’s not the prettiest place, but it’s welcoming. I lived near the training ground and used that time to focus on what I had to do.”