Leeds United’s Mateo Joseph – ‘This is my season – I can’t wait to prove it’

This is Mateo Joseph’s season.

The 20-year-old is confident in that and he wears it well. It is confidence, not arrogance, stemming from an impressive breakthrough season in senior football and a summer of hard work that has put him in a prime position to start on the opening day against Portsmouth.

Individual training ahead of Leeds United’s return for pre-season has prepared the Spaniard well for his goal of becoming Daniel Farke’s first-choice striker this season. After scoring twice in the FA Cup against Chelsea in January – where Joseph did not look out of place against Premier League opposition, having made three appearances in his debut season in 2022-23 – his impact coming off the bench has been impressive. Such has been Joseph’s impact, particularly as Leeds’ automatic promotion hopes faltered towards the end of the campaign, that there have been regular calls for him to start in place of Patrick Bamford.

But developing a talent like Joseph’s is an art and, after a four-goal pre-season and a stellar performance in the last friendly against Valencia at Elland Road, he now feels more prepared than ever to take on the starring role.

“Pre-season was tough, there was a lot of running, but I like it because doing the training makes me feel fit,” he said. The Athletic“It’s tough, it’s been tough, but to be ready for the games we need to be like that. This is my season this year. I don’t want to sound too confident, but I can’t wait to prove it and for the season to start. I’ve done everything I can to train and improve. I see the improvement now. When you do everything you can to take advantage of opportunities, you have to feel calm about it and trust yourself because there’s nothing else you can do.”

Given a starting spot against Valencia in place of Joel Piroe or Patrick Bamford, Joseph offered plenty in terms of his waiting game and movement, as well as opening the scoring. It was a well-deserved chance to cement his place in the starting line-up after scoring twice against Hannover and one against Schalke on the trip to Germany, and with just seven days to go until the first game of the season against Portsmouth. His development since joining Leeds from Espanyol in 2022 has been carefully managed and he has shown he is ready for a long run in the first team, although Farke will be mindful of limiting the pressure on such a young player.

Joseph has the broad shoulders and swagger on the field to show that he can take things in stride, however, he has demonstrated maturity in knowing that a certain degree of patience coupled with that confidence will serve him well.

“They told me I have to be patient (for his first chance in the team rather than being sent out on loan),” he says. “I thought it was a very good choice because you never know what can happen when you go somewhere else (on loan). I’m very happy I stayed, I was calm and I got the opportunity.

“I improved a lot during the season, you could see it as the games went by. We had a good team, so it was difficult to break in, but I made my space and this year I’m going for more.”

Joseph has been working hard this summer, starting individual work just four days after the Wembley defeat because, in his own words, he “couldn’t sit still at home”. There was time for celebration when Spain beat England in the Euro 2024 final – Joseph arrived at Leeds training the following day in his Spain kit – although he was unable to join his country’s squad for the Paris Olympics on club orders.

After some back and forth between representing England or Spain, given his eligibility for both countries, Joseph followed his heart and his birth country by declaring for Spain last season. Committing to pre-season training rather than heading to the Olympics appears to have been a wise decision, based on how the last few weeks have unfolded.

Against Valencia, he showed his eye for goal after collecting a pass from Georginio Rutter and running past a defender before slotting home calmly. It was typical of the No9, as was his holding role during the 2-1 win. In a physical and aggressive friendly, Joseph showed he can hold his own, although the pressures and rigours of the Championship will be his next big test if he starts next week.

“With Mateo, it’s something special because he came here when he was very young,” says Junior Firpo. “I’ve been with him all these years and I’ve seen him grow into the player he is now. It’s not just about scoring a lot of goals, he puts in a lot of effort. You can see him dropping back, defending with us, holding the ball, going on the counterattack. He has everything to be a very good striker, so whoever we choose, whether it’s Mateo, Patrick or Joel, they’re all very good options and we just have to work for them to try and bring them on the pitch. I’ll try to make as many assists as I can for them to score goals.”

As a last chance to impress coach Farke, Joseph did exactly what was necessary to put himself at the front of the line for the starting lineup on Opening Day.

“The basics,” Farke said of what he wanted to see from Joseph. “That he works for the team, that he saves balls, makes good movements, locks down opponents, that he’s more or less the first striker on the ball and leads the press. We always talk about triggers, when he should press, how he should press, how he should lead the game. In those terms, he was brilliant. If you’re a striker, you want goals and assists. He’s had a very impressive pre-season and he delivered again today with a good performance.

“He was ice cold in front of goal and with his workload he was important. We found a good mix today between him keeping the ball and stretching the opponent running in behind, so it was definitely a good performance.”

(Top photo: Stu Forster/Getty Images)