While Nuno Espirito Santo’s win rate now stands at a much healthier 33 per cent, West Ham United’s record with and without Freddie Potts in their Premier League XI makes for very interesting reading.
Yes, the sample size is small.
Freddie Potts has only started two games in the competition. Yet, the fact that West Ham United emerged victorious in both of those is probably no coincidence.
Potts shackled Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimarares beautifully as the Hammers fought back to beat Newcastle. Six days later, and while Potts was overshadowed by Mateus Fernandes in the centre of the park this time around, his energy, tenacity and positivity in possession was key to ensuring that the home side remained competitive after Burnley’s 35th minute opener.
Potts averages 1.5 tackles per game in the Premier League. Far more than Guido Rodriguez, Andy Irving, James Ward-Prowse and Tomas Soucek. All of whom had been chosen ahead of him at times by Graham Potter and Nuno Espirito Santo.
His ability to break the lines with his punchy forward passes also helps the 22-year-old stand out head and shoulders above his contemporaries. While the West Ham faithful raved about Mateus Fernandes’ outstanding display on Saturday, it is Potts who gives the prancing Portuguese the license to drive forward from deep.
So Matt Holland and Matt Jarvis, the former a West Ham academy graduate and the latter a winger in the Sam Allardyce era, both walked away from that Burnley victory with their admiration for 22-year-old Potts firmly enhanced.
Matt Holland and Matt Jarvis agree on Freddie Potts’ West Ham United impact
Holland, who would go on to captain both Ipswich Town and Charlton Athletic in the Premier League, may see shades of himself in the way Potts dictates and dominates with a maturity far beyond his years.
“You’ve got a midfielder who knows what he’s good at, who wants to defend, to play it into [Lucas] Paqueta. They haven’t had a midfielder like that for 12 months, maybe,” Holland said during Peacock’s coverage of that Burnley clash.
“He’s had a really solid game again. Maybe not quite as impactful [as against Newcastle], but nonetheless. He certainly adds better balance to the midfield. He wants to defend, steps in, winning the tackles…”
“Freddie Potts has come in and been absolutely outstanding,” Jarvis later told talkSPORT. “I think he helps Nuno with regards to keeping the fans happy, because he is one of their own.
“It’s incredible what he’s done since he’s come in. To come in and put in back to back performances like he’s done, it’s a massive positive.”
Nuno Espirito Santo calms Potts injury fears
The former Wycombe Wanderers and Portsmouth loanee limped off with around an hour gone against Burnley. Nuno played down concerns over Potts’ fitness at full-time, though. The head coach expects to have him available for the trip to AFC Bournemouth after the November international break.
“He has a dead leg. [Only] a dead leg,” Nuno said during his post-match press conference. “I think [he should be available for Bournemouth].
“It is very painful now but, with ice, he will recover.”
Mateus Fernandes and Soungoutou Magassa are making real progress
Nuno was pleased to see Soungoutou Magassa make a positive contribution off the bench against Burnley too.
Suddenly, what looked like a real weak link a few weeks ago now feels like a position of rare strength.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 16 |  LeedsLeeds | 11 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 20 | -10 | 11 |
| 17 |  BurnleyBurnley | 11 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 14 | 22 | -8 | 10 |
| 18 |  West HamWest Ham | 11 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 13 | 23 | -10 | 10 |
| 19 |  Nottingham ForestNottingham Forest | 11 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 20 | -10 | 9 |
| 20 |  WolvesWolves | 11 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 25 | -18 | 2 |
“The midfielders [Potts and Fernandes] work hard and they are complementing each other. In the middle of the park, we have a lot of good options and the boys are doing really well,” the manager said.
“Arriving to the Premier League for any player is really difficult. We have a lot of players who we need to be patient with. I think it’s a small step, Another day where we have achieved something at London Stadium which means a lot. But we will not get carried away.
“I think we are getting closer. It is not about the team, it is about the squad. The players that came in really helped the team. Magassa, fresh legs, his energy, he helped the team in the middle of the park.
“It is about trying to find this balance, the combinations that we need.”
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