Mateo Joseph is certainly a player to be excited about at Leeds United ahead of the new season.
Joseph got a taste of first team action over the course of the 2023/24 campaign but was never quite trusted enough by Daniel Farke to get a proper run in the team.
Despite scoring twice in the 3-2 FA Cup defeat at Chelsea in February, as well as netting a crucial equaliser at Watford a month later, Farke opted against handing him a full league debut.
The 20-year-old could not hide his frustration on a couple of occasions regarding his lack of action, but certainly did not let that affect his performances from the bench.
Even in the play-off final, he looked like one of Leeds‘ most dangerous outlets purely as a result of running in behind, and certainly is a more natural fit for that nine role than Joel Piroe.
Joseph shares what he has been doing over summer
Farke clearly views Joseph as a big part of his plans this season having prevented him from representing Spain at the upcoming Olympic games.
Had Joseph been given permission, he would’ve missed Leeds’ pre-season tour of Germany, as well as the opening day clash with Portsmouth, depending on how far Spain progress.
Leeds’ non-internationals were handed around six weeks off to rest and recover, but Joseph was quick to document on Instagram himself working hard on the training pitch in early June.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Radio Leeds, Joseph says he has prepared himself for the upcoming season ahead over the summer like never before, and is absolutely determined to win that first choice striker’s spot.
He said: “I have prepared myself for this season like I never did. I always work really hard but I think I have to take this season with all I have and I think it’s going to be my season.
“I think I did a lot of improvement over last season, you could see as the games went through. Obviously everyone wants to play every minute, but that’s impossible.
“But it was a good season for me to be in a professional team to learn some things, it was a really good team so it was difficult to get in but in the end I made my space and this year I am going for more.
“I have not stopped training to be honest, anything I can see I have to improve I will do it. Every spare time I have, even reading things from other players and athletes in order to train better or get better in my play, I will do it. Now in training against players like Pascal, Joe and Ethan, I can manage better against them.”
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Joseph deserves to start season as first choice
Pre-season is going to be important for Joseph to show what he can do, but based on the end of last season, he deserves to start as first choice.
Patrick Bamford’s form and fitness once again dwindled during April and May, and he simply cannot be relied on week in, week out to score goals.
Piroe, meanwhile, was handed enough chances as a lone number nine to show that he simply isn’t cut out for that position.
Leeds may well still bring in a striker before the end of the window but it would be unfair if Joseph does not get a proper chance to show what he can do from the start.
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