Graham Potter appears to be betting big on youth at West Ham United, and that feels like very good news indeed for Freddie Potts as the midfielder returns from a loan spell at Portsmouth with the bit between his teeth.
Potter has already made Ollie Scarles a first-team regular at the age of just 19.
Kaelan Casey and Lewis Orford train regularly with the West Ham United first-team these days, while teenage centre-back Ezra Meyers was spotted going head-to-head with Jarrod Bowen and co at the start of the club’s pre-season preparations this week.
George Earthy will be given a chance by Graham Potter to impress over the summer too. The England Under-21 international was named Bristol City’s Young Player of the Year after helping The Robins reach the Championship play-offs.
There was to be no award for Freddie Potts at Portsmouth. But, make no mistake, Potts returns to his parent club having given his own reputation a considerable boost.
Freddie Potts ready to fight for a spot in Graham Potter’s West Ham United side
Pompey boss John Mousinho could not speak higher of Freddie Potts when reflecting on the 21-year-old’s temporary stay at Fratton Park a few days ago.
Mousinho knows that a return to the South Coast is unlikely at this stage, too, given that he expects Potts to fight for a place in the West Ham side sooner rather than later.
Now, speaking to the club’s official website, Potts opened up on his own plans. Plans which revolve around justifying the faith shown in him when West Ham handed the Barking-born youngster a new deal during the springtime.
“I’m very, very happy to be back,” an excited Potts smiles.
“I’ve had two tough loan spells with Wycombe [Wanderers] and Portsmouth but, in the end, they became really enjoyable ones as I played a lot of games.
“However, my return to West Ham has come at the perfect time, as I’m full of confidence at the moment and ready to show what I can do this pre-season in front of the head coach.”
Potts played 80 games combined for Wycombe and Portsmouth, helping the latter side stay clear of the Championship relegation zone.
Potter praised Potts Portsmouth impact as midfielder opens up on Hammers ‘dream’
The uncertainty surrounding Guido Rodriguez and Edson Alvarez, plus James Ward-Prowse’s underwhelming form in claret and blue, means that an opportunity should present itself for Potts to emulate Scarles’ first-team breakthrough.
“It means a lot to me to be back here at Rush Green because I’m a massive West Ham fan,” Potts adds. “My family are all West Ham fans, and it’s always been my dream to play for this incredible club, and to be part of it was my dream when I was a kid.
“So now I’ve just got to try and work hard enough to try and prove myself in the first-team.
“It was nice to sign a new long-term contract with the club I love [in March] and for everyone to show their continued faith in me, which gave me a massive boost. I’m now looking forward to the years ahead here in east London.
“It’s always nice to get that side of football out of the way so I can just concentrate on my dream of being a first-team player and what’s in front of me. To have another four years here is something that I couldn’t be happier about.”
Graham Potter recently confirmed that Freddie Potts will feature during West Ham’s pre-season preparations, with Swiss outfit Grasshopper Zurich kicking off their summer schedule next weekend.
“Freddie has had a couple of really good loans, successful loans, which I think is important for a player,” the former Brighton and Chelsea boss said. “It’s really important to have that accumulation of games, those minutes.
“We do a great job in terms of the Academy and development and have good programme internally, but sometimes you need to go out and play as well and he’s done that and he’s had the benefit of that.
“So we’re looking forward to him finishing the season off strong and then coming back and being part of our group in pre-season.”
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