Freddie Potts drops major hint about his future after West Ham terms agreed
Freddie Potts has been in excellent form away from West Ham this season.
The 21-year-old has spent the season on loan in the Championship with Portsmouth, where he has established his place in the side, making 30 league appearances across the campaign.
Potts has stepped up a league after spending the 2023/24 season with Wycombe last year, and his impressive form led West Ham to offer the youngster a long-term contract.
Potts clarifies West Ham future
Potts has shown a perfect trajectory in his career so far, having risen to each challenge that has been set by successfully stepping up the leagues.
The midfielder has struggled with injuries of late, but loan manager John Mousinho has been so full of praise that it was no surprise to see him step back into the starting line-up when he got back to full fitness.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 30 | 1 | 4 |
Potts‘ new contract in East London keeps him with the Hammers until at least the summer of 2029, and Mark Noble has made no secret of his first-team aspirations for the youngster.
However, having spent the season with a struggling second-tier side, a step up to a top-flight side that will be aiming for more success next term may be too much too soon.
Potts has laid down his aims for next season as he told The News (1 April): “Coming back [to Portsmouth] next year is not my decision to make, that’s obviously down to West Ham and I’m going to give it my all at West Ham during pre-season, giving it my best chance.
“Wherever I’ll be next season I want to be playing football, I want to be starting, like I have been this year, that’s why I have enjoyed it so much this season with Pompey.
“They believe I can play for West Ham at some point in my career, they believe I can be in their squad, I want to be a part of it in the pre-season coming up, I am going to give it my best.
“I feel like I can go back to West Ham and give it my best shot. It’s really nice to see they’ve got that belief in me and nice to hear from the manager and people higher up in the club.”
Potts can prove himself to Potter at West Ham
Potter isn’t afraid to use the youth players he has available and, in fact, is known for his impressive work with young players.
With that in mind, this pre-season will be an exciting one for the 21-year-old, and there’s no reason why he can’t follow in the steps of Ollie Scarles and become a core part of the West Ham side.
The step up will certainly be bigger than what he experienced from Wycombe to Portsmouth, but under the management of Potter, the London-born player could take that in his stride.
While the Irons boss will have more money to spend in the summer transfer window, there is plenty of work to be done in East London.
Therefore, the manager may be keen to find talent from inside his squad.
The main takeaway is that Potts is targeting first-team football on a regular basis, but if he were to go on loan again, it would surely have to be a higher standard than Portsmouth.
For now, though, his focus has to be on nailing down a first-team position at the London Stadium.