Mateo Joseph interview on his Leeds exit: ‘I don't think Daniel Farke had much confidence in me'

New York Times

10 hours ago

It has been a whirlwind few months for Mateo Joseph.
Last season, the Spain Under-21 striker helped Leeds United achieve promotion to the Premier League, playing 39 times in the Championship — however, he barely featured towards the end of the campaign.
Then, last month, manager Daniel Farke said Joseph had asked to leave the club and had refused to join their pre-season training camp in Germany.
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'He came to me, and to us, and said he wants a new challenge and would like to have a move,' Farke said in a news conference after Leeds' friendly win against local side SC Verl. 'He has also hinted he prefers a move to Spain, due to his Spanish roots, and, yes, that was more or less his call.
'If this is your wish, I, as a manager, won't stand in the way and (I) accept this because I just want players who want to be here and are buzzing. I've said, 'OK, Mateo, I accept this. I won't stand in the way'.'
Two weeks after those comments, Joseph's exit to La Liga side Real Mallorca on a season-long loan was made official.
Sources with knowledge of Leeds' perspective, kept anonymous to protect relationships, told The Athletic the club didn't want him to leave and that they were only prepared to sanction a loan if he truly wanted to go. Those same sources said Leeds wish him nothing but the best at Mallorca.
Now, for the first time since his move and in an exclusive interview with The Athletic, the 21-year-old offers his version of events.
'During this year and the previous one, I wasn't entirely comfortable,' Joseph says. 'Those weren't easy years for me.'
Asked how he went from a promising start last season to not playing a leading role on the run-in, he says: 'That's a question I ask myself too. And so do those around me. I think the coach didn't have much confidence in me.
'He's shown me (that) with situations like the Chelsea game, which was more or less my debut (his second start under Farke — an FA Cup last-16 tie in February 2024, which Leeds lost 3-2). I scored two goals, played the whole game and felt really good, and then in the next away game (against Huddersfield Town in the Championship) I didn't play a single minute.
'It's already happened. I don't dwell on it too much but I want to enjoy football again, and I would have liked more honesty.'
The situation built up to this summer, and Joseph leaving the group before that trip to Germany.
'It happened on the first day of pre-season, because he always told me he trusted me, but then, as in situations like the ones I've told you about, he (Farke) showed me that he didn't,' Joseph says. 'This season, he told me that he wasn't counting on me. Then I saw that there were quotes (saying) he told me that I didn't want to go to Germany, that he couldn't force me.
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'That wasn't the case.
'He told me that it was fine if I didn't go.
'In the end, these are situations that are disappointing in the world of football. Because, ultimately, I consider myself an honest person, and I want that to be reflected when people talk about me. That's why I try to be a good person and work hard every day.
'The most important thing is to have a clear conscience, and I have a very clear conscience that I gave it my all, I worked hard and gave 100 per cent, and I got the most out of that situation. Now I'm eager to continue getting the most out of every situation from now on.'
Those sources with knowledge of Leeds' perspective say Farke wanted Joseph to be part of the pre-season training camp and told him it would be a bad idea not to go to Germany with his team-mates. They maintain he asked to leave, then refused to join the travelling group.
The Athletic reported interest in Joseph from several Spanish clubs, including Real Betis and Girona. He was born in the northern Spanish city of Santander to an English father and Spanish mother and played for the youth teams of Racing Santander and Espanyol before he was spotted by Leeds' then sporting director Victor Orta.
Joseph made his Leeds debut in November 2022 at age 19 and went on to make six first-team appearances that season. He impressed during brief cameos on Leeds' return to the Championship before becoming more of a regular last season, scoring three times in 26 games.
He chose to move to Mallorca after a conversation with their head coach Jagoba Arrasate and sporting director Pablo Ortells. Last night, they kicked off their La Liga campaign with a XX win/draw/loss against reigning champions Barcelona, in which Joseph played XX minutes.
So, why Mallorca?
'It's also the feeling,' he says. 'Here, they gave me the feeling of being very close, very honest people, people who have confidence in me. Because the truth is that they knew me very well, and I was surprised. I'm very happy for the confidence they have in me. I'm really looking forward to repaying it and growing here together with this whole team and being able to do great things.
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'My parents are very happy, because the last two years have been very tough. They noticed that I wasn't enjoying football at club level. And now, when they see me, they tell me they see me differently, they see me smiling, they see me more excited, and they're very happy.'
Based on the largest of the Balearic islands, Mallorca finished 10th in La Liga last term and got to the 2023-24 Copa del Rey final, drawing 1-1 with Athletic Club before losing on penalties. Joseph has joined an experienced front line, with centre-forwards Cyle Larin, Vedat Muriqi and club legend Abdon Prats all aged 30 or over. He has a personal connection to the 32-year-old Prats.
'I used to watch Abdon when he played for Santander. I was a ball boy too,' he says. 'I also try to ask them questions, because I'm the youngest. I see that I can help, and at some point we'll surely coincide on the pitch — each of us will have our moments.'
This will be the first time Joseph plays senior professional football in Spain. Having turned out 10 times for England Under-20s, he switched to represent his country of birth last year and scored eight goals in 13 appearances for Spain Under-21s.
Moving to La Liga will allow him to catch up with some of his former national team-mates — he is especially excited to face Real Madrid centre-back Dean Huijsen, signed from Bournemouth this summer, who he played alongside for the under-21s.
'Dean was in a similar situation to mine when he was at Juventus, and this year he's had a great coach (Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola) who has given him a lot of confidence,' Joseph says. 'He had to earn his place, too. We always talk about how you have to keep working and never, ever give up.'
Joseph does not rule out a return to Leeds. He has three years left on the contract extension he signed in January 2024 and is still highly valued by the Yorkshire club as one of the world's top striker prospects.
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'I'm one of those people who say never say never,' he says. 'Football takes many twists and turns. If circumstances change, anything is possible. But right now, my mind isn't there, it's here (in Mallorca).
'There's still a long year ahead of us, and when it's over, we'll assess the situation. But I'm very happy here and I'm sure I'll be able to enjoy football, which is what I want right now.'
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