In previous summers, Freddie Potts has spoken of his desire to remain at his boyhood Club and become a first-team player for West Ham United.
This summer, following an outstanding season in the EFL Championship on loan with Portsmouth, Potts’ words have a real belief and steel to them, and you can understand why.
The 21-year-old has looked at home in West Ham’s midfield in his pre-season appearances at the 2025 Premier League Summer Series, catching the eye in a substitute appearance against Manchester United in New Jersey and again in an all-action 45 minutes as a starter against Everton in Chicago.
Potts put on an impressive show at Soldier Field, showcasing his accurate passing and crunching tackling and always being available to receive the ball from his teammates and use it intelligently.
All in all, you can see why the No32 has been so highly thought of at the Club he joined at the age of six, and why the man himself feels ready to take the next step in his career at London Stadium.
“I think every pre-season that I go into, I try and showcase my ability, what I’m about and what I can bring to the team, and I think I’ve been given two opportunities now to do so, and I’m happy I’m with the first-team,” he told West Ham TV.
“After the two loan spells that I’ve had, I feel like now is the perfect opportunity to show what I can do, and I’ve been given the two opportunities that I have, and I’ve just tried to showcase what I’m all about.
“I think there’s definitely more to give. Definitely more because I’ve had a season in the Championship now where I’ve learnt a lot, and everyone knows that it’s a massive step up to the Premier League, but this is where I want to play.
“I want to be playing at West Ham, and as a fan all my life, this is the Club that I want to play for, so I feel like there’s even more to give.
“I’ve learnt so much in the last couple of years, and I want to showcase that, and obviously there’s still a lot to learn, and being around the players that are at West Ham now, I couldn’t have asked for a better place to learn. I think there’s more to give, but I’m still happy.”
Happy but self-aware enough that his journey to the Premier League is not yet complete - that sums up the mentality and maturity of a player who knows his quality and also his potential.
Potts also believes his full seasons on loan, first at Wycombe Wanderers in EFL League One and latterly at Portsmouth in the ultra-challenging Championship, have put him in position to take the next step.
“Definitely, I’ve learnt the most in my career now,” he explained. “Last year was a massive step for me to go into the Championship, but what I know is that it’s a big league, a very competitive league, so to have, I think, 37 games under my belt at Portsmouth was a massive part of my development.
“I’ve learnt a lot. I’ve learnt how to become a man, especially in the midfield, so it’s about showcasing when I get the opportunities this year, especially in pre-season, to show the manager what I can do because at the end of the day I want to be playing at West Ham because that’s always been my dream, so I’m just enjoying it at the moment, and hopefully there’s more opportunities to come.”
It is always even more enjoyable when you win, and Potts played his part in Wednesday’s win over a usually stubborn Everton.
“I think we’ve done well in the first half, I think we’ve had a lot of the ball,” he observed. “Obviously it was unfortunate the way we conceded, but I feel like it’s bounced back the way we did, and it’s two goals that I feel like we deserved, and to come away with the win was probably the most important thing.”
Potts is thoroughly enjoying being part of the Premier League Summer Series in the United States, too.
“I’m loving it. It’s been hot but loving it!” he smiled. “It’s again a different experience every time we go to a new country. We went to America last year, but to come here, we’re going to three different cities now, and I’m enjoying it, it’s been really good.
“Obviously there are new players, new faces, players coming back from loans like me, so I’m just learning from the new manager and the new coaching staff who haven’t been around last year, so it’s been really good.”
