Jon Newsome shares if Leeds United should have accepted £10m bid from Real Betis for Mateo Joseph.
Late on deadline day, it emerged that Leeds United striker Mateo Joseph was the subject of a £10m bid from La Liga side Real Betis with the relationship a strong one between the two sides.
Leeds and Betis have already done business during the 2024-25 season. Marc Roca signed permanently for Betis last summer after a loan, while Diego Llorente joined Manuel Pellegrini’s side after a Roma loan.
The connection doesn’t stop there. Joel Robles joined Leeds in the summer of 2022 after his contract at Betis came to an end, while Junior Firpo made his name at Betis. Betis are leading the race for Firpo, too.
On deadline day, it was confirmed that Leeds had received a £10m bid from Betis for Joseph but it had been rejected by The 49ers. Joseph was a back-up option for Betis to Colombian star Cucho Hernandez.
Jon Newsome on Real Betis’ bid for Leeds star Mateo Joseph
Betis ended up signing Hernandez from MLS side Colombus Crew for around £12m. Joseph remains, even though Spanish reports suggested that Joseph would be open to a return to Spanish football from Leeds.
Betis were not the only La Liga side to look at Joseph in January, but the striker remains at Thorp Arch at least until the summer. Jon Newsome thinks it was the right decision to reject Betis’ bid for the striker.
Speaking to the Don’t Go To Bed Just Yet podcast, former Leeds man Newsome said: “Not at all [surprised Leeds rejected Joseph bid]. You cannot let him go. Joffy has gone to Hull. Down to your bare bones.
“Bamford, I feel for him, an injury finished my career. But can the club rely on him? You can take him out of the equation. If both Piroe or Joseph get injured, I don’t know what the club do. Scraping the barrel.”
What would have been a fair price for Mateo Joseph?
Leeds see Joseph as a real gem. A talent that could go on to lead the line for years to come. Spain think the same as well, with Spain keeping tabs on Joseph ahead of the 2026 World Cup in 18 months time.
But what is a fair price for Joseph? Had the £10m bid come earlier in the window, it would have been interesting to see what Leeds’ response might have been with time to replace the Spain U21 attacker.
Perhaps a few more million on top might have swayed The 49ers given the fee is pure profit in the eyes of Profit & Sustainability Rules. But, Joseph remains and Leeds stay intact for the remaining 16 matches.
