Freddie Potts just ‘gets it’, in a way reminiscent of two West Ham United icons from recent Premier League past.
In their position, sleepwalking towards the Championship, lacking any semblance of leadership or tenacity, with an almighty divide opening between the fans, players, owners and coaches, the emergence of a 22-year-old academy graduate could hardly have come at a better time.
This was certainly a surefire way of getting the supporters onside.
Nuno made the ‘brilliant’ decision to introduce Freddie Potts into the first-team picture immediately after he was appointed as West Ham United’s head coach at the end of September.
Firstly, with a handful of substitute appearances. And, eventually, with a central role in every sense of the word. Presuming Potts will start away at Brighton and Hove Albion in Sunday’s early kick-off, that will be his sixth in a row.
The youngster deserves it, too. Anyone initially wondering if Potts was being used by Nuno as a useful pawn to raise spirits among supporters would have to accept now that his involvement is a reflection of the former Portsmouth loanee’s talent, rather than his claret-and-blue background.
The similarities between Potts, Declan Rice and Mark Noble, meanwhile, are as obvious as they are unavoidable. Not that he is shying away from being likened to two of the club’s best-ever midfielders, let alone two of their best-ever captains.
This is a responsibility he relishes.
Photo by Kevin Hodgson/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Freddie Potts opens up on Mark Noble and Declan Rice influence at West Ham United
Skipper-turned-sporting director Mark Noble lauded Freddie Potts after his impressive run of performances during the pre-season tour.
Former left-back and assistant coach Stuart Pearce feels there are clear similarities between Potts and Declan Rice, meanwhile. He is even taking corner kicks these days, though the former has a long way to go if he is to match the latter’s formidable delivery in the red and white of set-piece kings Arsenal.
“I keep saying it to people, but it really is it really has been my dream since I was five. I joined the club when I was five and for me the goal was always to be in the Premier League with this team and follow in the footsteps of, you know, Mark Noble and Declan Rice,” Potts tells Premier League productions.
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“And now I’m doing that.
“It’s just the dream and I want it to continue and I’m going to do everything I can to try and keep holding my shirt and keep playing. So, I’m looking forward to what’s going to happen.”
In the week in which West Ham bid farewell to arguably their greatest-ever player, Freddie Potts saw comparisons drawn with Billy Bonds during the valiant 1-1 draw away to Manchester United.
One terrific last-gasp challenge to deny Bryan Mbeumo a shot at goal, Sky Sports commentator Peter Drury said, was particularly Bonds-esque.
Potts delighted with Hammers fight in Manchester United battle
So, that is Rice, Noble and Bonds who have all been mentioned in the same breath as a 22-year-old with only 544 minutes of top-flight football under his belt.
Not that Potts seems the type to let such praise go to his head.
“We had expectations that it was going to be a very tough game,” he reflected after a rapidly ‘improving’ Soungoutou Magassa snatched a point at Old Trafford.
“Man United are a team that had come off of a good result on the weekend [beating Crystal Palace away from home] so we knew that coming back into Old Trafford it was going to be a tough game. But we had a game plan that we stuck to and the main thing for us was to come and get a result and that’s what we did, thankfully.
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“I think I was quite pleased with my performance, but the main thing for everyone was to be together because we knew that Man United are a team that are going to try and break through lines. They’re going to try and run in behind.
“We had to be switched on no matter where we were on the pitch and I think in the first half they were asking a lot of questions, but for me in the midfield it was just a matter of intercepting play and breaking things up and making it as difficult as we could for Man United because they’ve got some top players in those positions, so I think we all fought as a team.”
“Well, they are big names but as a team we don’t really care who we come up against, we just want to give our all for this team.
“We showed that [again on Thursday], I think we weren’t pretty sometimes but the second balls and the interceptions and the tackles that we had to make were the most important thing in parts of the game, so our focus was to do that and thankfully we did.”
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