Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke has not been afraid to dip into the academy to utilise the young talent within his squad so far this season.
Teenage midfielder Archie Gray has featured in 35 Championship matches, and started 32, for the Whites, with the majority of his appearances coming out of position at right-back.
20-year-old centre-forward Mateo Joseph has also emerged as a first-team option for the German head coach, having had his breakthrough performance against Chelsea recently in the FA Cup.
The former Norwich City tactician has unearthed a new Whites star with the academy graduate, whose value has soared since his move to the club in 2022.
Mateo Joseph's market value in 2022
Leeds swooped to sign the Spanish-born marksman from Espanyol in January 2022. Football Transfers gave him his first Expected Transfer Value (xTV) in December of that year – placing it at just €300k (£256k).
That came after Joseph scored just two goals in 11 appearances for the club at U18 and U21 level combined during the second half of the 2021/22 campaign, which shows that he had a slow start to life in England.
The talented number nine then burst onto the scene with a staggering return of 15 goals in 21 Premier League 2 matches for the U21s last season.
His outstanding form at youth level earned him first-team recognition, with six outings for the senior side – including three in the Premier League – without registering a goal or an assist.
Mateo Joseph's current market value
At the time of writing (11/03/2024), Football Transfers has Joseph's xTV at €2m (£1.7m) and that is a staggering 567% increase on the €300k he was valued at in 2022.
His soaring market value could be down to Farke's continued use of him in the first-team set-up at Elland Road throughout the 2023/24 campaign.
The England U20 international, who U23 scout Antonio Mango hailed as "dynamite" inside the box, has made 16 appearances for the senior team, with 12 of those matches coming in the Championship as he competes with Patrick Bamford for a starting role.
Minutes played
90
Shots
Three
Goals
Two
Key passes
Two
Pass accuracy
81%
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Joseph recently enjoyed his breakthrough performance for the first-team with two goals at Stamford Bridge against Premier League side Chelsea, with a goal in each half, as Leeds were beaten 3-2 in the FA Cup.
They were his first goals for Leeds, with many more, hopefully, to come, and showed that he has the quality to make an impact against top-quality opposition.
The next milestone for the 20-year-old whiz is to score his first goal for the club in the league, which is a target between now and the end of the current season as the Whites fight for automatic promotion back up to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Farke has unearthed a 'dynamite' new Leeds gem in Joseph, who he has put faith in as a first-team regular, and it will be interesting to see how he develops in Yorkshire over the weeks, months, and years to come.