Mateo Joseph left Leeds United for a season in Spain over the summer.
Mateo Joseph learned a lot during three-and-a-half years with Leeds United but admits his permanent home is ‘not the prettiest place’.
Joseph returned to Spain during the summer transfer window, joining La Liga outfit RCD Mallorca on loan for the season. The 21-year-old went against the strong recommendation of manager Daniel Farke by refusing to join his Leeds teammates in Germany in a bid to force a move, having struggled for starts during the second-half of the 2024/25 campaign.
Leeds were adamant they did not want to include any kind of permanent option in Joseph’s loan exit, with the young striker still highly thought of in West Yorkshire. A similar decision was taken regarding Largie Ramazani, who joined Valencia on loan for the 2025/26 season.
Joseph has been reflecting on his time at Leeds in an interview with local newspaper Diario de Mallorca, including a January 2022 move from Espanyol that was spearheaded by former Whites sporting director Victor Orta. And the young striker also gave his thoughts on living in Yorkshire.
“Everything they told me when they came to see me has come to fruition,” Joseph told of Orta and former technical assistant Gaby Ruiz. “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.
“It was a change 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.
“It’s not the same [living in Leeds as in Spain]. 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.”
Leeds United verdict on Mateo Joseph
Leeds’ refusal to insert a permanent clause into Joseph’s loan is evidence of his status among club chiefs, who hope to welcome back a more experienced striker with regular first-team football under his belt next summer. That’s the verdict of managing director Robbie Evans at least, who sat down with the YEP and other local journalists last week.
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"We think very highly of Mateo,” Evans said. “He has all the same characteristics of the right profile, skill set, et cetera, to play at any league in Europe, including in the Premier League.
“He needs the minutes. And part of why his loan took as long as it did, is that every team that was trying to take him on loan was requiring buy option for the same reason, and we simply said there's no way you're getting an option on this player. The only way Mateo was going on loan is if the door is open for us to have him back in this building.
“And so he's on a season long loan, no buy option. And our hope is he has a phenomenal season in Mallorca and comes back. He's a favourite of the club, he's a favourite of the chairman, and so we hope he does great."
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