Freddie Potts opens up on 'dream' exit from West Ham as Premier League offers rejected
Freddie Potts knew he would not be an important player for West Ham United this season.
The Rush Green product left the Hammers to join Club Brugge this summer, in a permanent deal worth £10.2million.
The midfielder made his debut for the club in the Europa League during the 2021-22 season, and had somewhat of a breakthrough into the first team last term.
But Nuno Espirito Santo looked to give opportunities to others, with youngsters like Lewis Orford and Mohamadou Kante getting important minutes so far.
Some supporters were unhappy at the Irons' decision to offload a clearly talented youth product, who could have led the club back to the Premier League.
However, Potts has now spoken out about his decision to leave West Ham, even if it pulled on his heart strings.
Freddie Potts reveals the 'dream' catch with Club Brugge move
West Ham left some shocked by Potts' departure, considering some of the players who have decided to stay in the fight for promotion.
But at this stage in his career, the 22-year-old needs to be playing week in, week out, which is what he's now getting in Belgium.
In Monday's print edition of Het Nieuwsblad, Potts' reasoning for leaving West Ham has been revealed, ahead of potentially making his Champions League debut against Aston Villa this week.
The midfielder said: "It was quite a difficult decision to leave England and West Ham. West Ham were relegated to the Championship, and during pre-season, I felt that I wouldn’t be playing a leading role this season.
"Club Brugge came knocking. Playing in the Champions League was always my dream. Every child wants that, right? So, I’m living my dream on Tuesday.
"I also had other options in England and the Premier League, but no one could match Club Brugge on a sporting level."
Potts played 25 times in total last season, but was benched for the final three games of the campaign.
His final competitive appearance for the Hammers came in the 2-1 win over Everton at the end of April, where he came on for 11 minutes to help see out the game.
But how has he played so far for Club Brugge?
How Freddie Potts is getting on after West Ham exit
Potts' father, Steve Potts, who is on Nuno's coaching staff, was excited about his son's move to Belgium.
His father did not expect teams outside of England to show interest, which makes the move a surprise.
The player has now featured in all five of Club Brugge's opening league games in the First Division A, winning four matches.
FotMob have his average score at 7.18 from the first five games of the season, which to put into perspective, is far greater than Orford's 6.63 score currently.
Either way, West Ham fans will be hoping for Potts to have a successful time overseas, and perhaps one day he will meet the London Stadium faithful once again.