Funnily enough, this was not the first time Freddie Potts produced a standout showing in a West Ham United shirt while up against David Moyes’ Everton.
During the 2-1 pre-season victory over the Toffees in Chicago, former Portsmouth loanee Potts really started to turn heads. Passing forward with every opportunity, breaking the lines at will, dropping in deep at times and surging forward at others, it was exactly the sort of performance West Ham United had been looking for – without ever really getting it – from James Ward-Prowse or Guido Rodriguez.
To quote Robbie Earle, on co-commentary duty for Sky Sports during that Illinois afternoon, Potts was a ‘class act’. A footballer with ‘real poise’ and ‘very cool in possession’.
Not even Graham Potter’s most determined detractors would have imagined then that, during the first five matches of the Premier League campaign, Freddie Potts would feature only once.
At least, following the appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo, things are looking up. Not only for Potts, but for West Ham as a whole.
And when even the opposition fans are claiming you have a pretty substantial talent in your ranks – as the Everton fans are after watching Potts build on his pre-season display with another eye-catching performance against The Toffees – well, it’s not only the Hammers faithful who will be watching the 22-year-old’s rise with keen eyes.
Everton fans say Freddie Potts changed the game for West Ham United
Less than a minute after his introduction – a delighted Potts was brought on by Nuno in place of Soungoutou Magassa around the hour mark – the 22-year-old popped a couple of passes around and picked up possession again.
Rather than shunt possession sideways or backwards as Ward-Prowse has tended to do, Potts instead played a lovely disguised pass through a couple of Everton bodies into Crysencio Summerville.
That was not the only time he would set up the winger for a run into the Toffees’ final third. Another positive Potts pass laid the foundations for a thrilling counter attack in which Malick Diouf flashed a trademark ball across the face of Jordan Pickford’s goal.
“Simply hilarious just how much he bullied our midfield. What a player,” one Everton fan wrote in response to Potts’ half-hour cameo on X, while others highlighted his introduction as the moment where the tide really turned at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
“[Potts] changed the whole game for them when he came on. Took [James] Garner for a dog walk
“This kid is everything Garner isn’t. First touch out of his feet, looking to pass forward…”
“Liked him in pre-season as well [when he played against Everton in the USA].”
Potts delighted to make his mark under Nuno Espirito Santo
While supporters of both Chelsea and Liverpool can only wish they had Diouf at their disposal – Slavia Prague’s president Jaroslav Tvrdik confirmed that the Premier League giants were both ‘interested’ before that £19 million West Ham transfer – the homegrown Potts is another who may be on his way to becoming something of a neutral’s favourite.
A la Declan Rice in his early claret and blue days, perhaps.
“I felt confident,” Potts told the club’s official website after making as many appearances under Nuno as he did in five matchdays under Potter. “The new manager’s come in and didn’t have a lot of time to set out his tactics, only having two days to do so.
“I just felt I wanted to come on and play my game and do my best for the team, because we were 1-0 down. I had to try and help the team in any way I could to turn the result around.
“Thankfully, we did that and that was the main thing at the end of the day. It wasn’t my performance, it was the fact that we’d come away with a point, and I feel like we could have got more.”
West Ham academy graduate hopes to kick on from Everton draw
Suddenly, with Potts actually older than teammates Diouf, Magassa and Mateus Fernandes and with a top-level tactician at the helm, the future looks a lot brighter in East London.
“Today was just another showcase of real confidence in each other to get the point,” adds Potts, who played just shy of 40 games on loan at Portsmouth last season.
“I think there’s a lot of hunger, [in the youngsters and the] senior players. There’s a lot of hunger. Everyone wants to play and everyone is helping each other out, especially in training. You see it as healthy competition, everyone’s pushing each other on to fight to start or to come on.
“I think that’s good to have, because obviously that keeps performances high, everyone’s got to be on their game. Today, I just wanted to show what I could do to the new manager and help the team in any way that I could. So, I’m happy.
“Hearing the fans chanting my name is something I’ve dreamt of since I first joined when I was five. I’m very happy and I’m hoping to hear that quite a few more times.”
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