‘Bigger club’: Mateusz Klich admits he rejected Middlesbrough for Leeds United

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Leeds United midfielder Mateusz Klich loves scoring against Middlesbrough. The Polish star has netted three times in four appearances against the Teessiders and clearly loves facing off against the club. 

But he nearly became a Middlesbrough player. 

The player was speaking to Leeds United’s Facebook channel this week when he revealed that Leeds United’s director of football Victor Orta initially wanted to bring him to The Riverside.

But Orta was soon on his way out at the then-Premier League side, and quickly moved to try and bring the Pole to Elland Road from FC Twente. 

As Klich explains, once Leeds United came calling, it was an easy decision. 

“My manager called me and told me I had got an offer from Middlesbrough. Victor was at Middlesbrough. I was at Twente at that time and I said ‘yeah, if I can go to England we can consider it’.

“He (my manager) called me and said the plan had changed and I had got the offer from Leeds United. I was a bit more happy because, obviously, Middlesbrough was Premier League at that time but you knew they were going to go down.

“Leeds, I don’t want to be disrespectful to Middlesbrough, but Leeds is a bigger club. So I was happy to join Leeds.”

Klich is a massive fan favourite at Elland Road. The midfielder’s personality has made him a big cult icon, especially for the way he manages to rile opposition players and supporters. 

So hearing him quite candidly put Leeds United ahead of Boro in his estimation of big clubs will win him even more fans at Elland Road. 

It might sting Boro fans just as much as one of his three goals against the club this season.