Freddie Potts’ emergence as a West Ham United first-team regular will mean a whole lot to Carlton Cole, the former Upton Park striker who now takes a particular interest in the club’s next generation.
Cole, scorer of 68 goals in claret and blue between 2006 and 2015, works behind the scenes as West Ham United’s Loans and Pathways Manager these days.
This means the former England international is responsible for finding the right loan deals, at the right time, for young players in need of an opportunity and ready to prove they can make the transition from academy football to the real thing.
That Lewis Orford’s Stevenage spell ended prematurely may not reflect particularly well on Carlton Cole’s judgement. On the other hand, Gideon Kodua and Michael Forbes are enjoying fine seasons with Luton Town and Northampton respectively.
George Earthy won the Young Player of the Year award at Bristol City in 2024/25, meanwhile. Ditto Callum Marshall at Huddersfield Town, and the aforementioned Freddie Potts at Portsmouth.
Marshall made his Premier League debut shortly after returning to his parent club. Earthy’s stellar form for the reserve team suggests that a first-team role awaits him once he has put those injury issues behind him for good.
As for Potts, Cole is understandably delighted to see that those spells at Wycombe Wanderers and Fratton Park have had the desired effect for a homegrown midfielder who is suddenly one of the first names on Nuno’s team sheet.
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Rob Green says Carlton Cole is ‘thrilled’ with Freddie Potts’ West Ham United rise
Potts started a fourth successive Premier League match during Sunday’s 2-0 defeat by Liverpool. That West Ham have picked up seven points from a possible 12 in that time, their best run of the season, is no coincidence.
Potts has been a revelation alongside Mateus Fernandes for the most part. A new-look central midfield pairing a complete contrast to the labouring Guido Rodriguez, James Ward-Prowse, Tomas Soucek set-ups from August and early-September.
And though Potts lacked his usual influence against a Liverpool side who dominated possession at the London Stadium, that he is starting games of this magnitude is a source of real pride for a man who has watched his development closer than most.
Watch what Nuno said after West Ham’s Liverpool loss
Nuno gives a fair assessment of this afternoon’s game 🗣️
— West Ham United (@WestHam) November 30, 2025
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“I was speaking to Carlton Cole before the game and he was absolutely thrilled,” Rob Green, the former West Ham goalkeeper, told Sky Sports during Sunday’s live coverage.
“He has been a standout performer since coming into the team.”
In truth, that Liverpool reverse was a performance short of ‘standout performers’. Alphonse Areola was probably West Ham’s best for the second week running. Despite being beaten twice in the second half by Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo, the Frenchman was needed to keep the scoreline relatively respectable.
West Ham will head to Manchester United on Thursday night needing some kind of a response.
Jarrod Bowen’s goal drought goes on ahead of Old Trafford trip
Rob Green fears for Jarrod Bowen and co in Nuno Espirito Santo’s current system. Like against Bournemouth, the usually talismanic captain found himself pinned back and unable to influence proceedings for long spells.
“The problem with Bowen is he’s got absolutely nothing ahead of him,” Green said during Sky Sports’ live coverage. “It’s almost like [West Ham are playing with] a flat back-six!
“It has felt like a training game from the get-go. When you go 1-0 down and Liverpool are getting more and more confident, you’ve got to raise the crowd, raise yourselves. You’ve got to do something!”
What is your score prediction for Man United vs West Ham? And what must the Hammers do to record another Old Trafford triumph?
“It was a tough match against Liverpool, but we managed to compete well for large spells. Unfortunately we didn’t achieve the result we wanted, but the feeling was that we competed until the last minute.
“I think we played well offensively, but we needed to make better decisions in the final third. The accuracy of our passes, shots and combinations just wasn’t quite there.
That’s what we have to look for on Thursday. We continue to work on the training field through repetition, and by trying to innovate as well. It requires that, because if things aren’t working, we have to change.”
– Nuno on his plan for Manchester United
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“It is completely irresponsible,” Green added. “[Paqueta] may as well try and deflect the blame onto the referee but he’s going to keep on going and going, and he needs someone to take him away because he’s lost his head.
“He has not helped the team for the next eight minutes, or for the next game. It’s ridiculous. Ridiculous behaviour. He can’t help himself.
“Just get him down the tunnel, get him away from any of the officials! West Ham, with their passive play, have helped Liverpool get back on track, and that has helped them even more.
“He’s a real talisman but just has a knack of losing his head at times. Just a really ridiculous situation.”
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