West Ham can save £30m this summer and have Portsmouth to thank - opinion

West Ham supporters have had to be patient for signs of excitement ahead of the 2025/26 Premier League season, but Graham Potter’s project is slowly showing signs of redemption.

The former Brighton and Chelsea manager struggled to add much impetus into Julen Lopetegui’s Hammers squad when taking over and has had a big task ahead of him this summer. Where other Premier League outfits have been busy announcing marquee signings, West Ham have had to wait to generate funds before splurging.

The arrivals of El Hadji Malick Diouf and Kyle Walker-Peters are promising signs but perhaps the most important new player for Potter next season could be someone already at the club.

Freddie Potts impresses for West Ham

That’s Freddie Potts. The 21-year-old is a graduate of the West Ham youth academy and spent last season on loan at Portsmouth, but is now back at the club.

The midfielder made 37 Championship appearances for Pompey last term and won over the Fratton Park faithful, as well as manager John Mousinho, who had made no secret over his desire to bring the youngster back to the south coast. However, with a new Hammers contract signed earlier this year, West Ham have always kept the stance that Potts would feature in the top flight next year.

That looks to be a very wise decision after Potts turned in a purring cameo from the bench against Manchester United in the 2-1 friendly defeat. The midfielder replaced Guido Rodriguez in the 72nd minute and left fans delighted with is performance.

Potts looked at ease when receiving the ball in front of defence and constantly looked to be positive with his next pass. Also making interceptions further up the pitch and showing the physicality to win tactical fouls, it was a box-to-box outing that had everything.

While it’s too early to put pressure on Potts’ shoulders, he adds the kind of bite in midfield that West Ham have desperately been missing - realistically, since flogging Declan Rice to Arsenal for £105 million two years ago.

Portsmouth progress could save Hammers £30 million

With Carlos Soler returning to Paris Saint-Germain after his loan spell and Tomas Soucek linked with a move away, signing a player with Potts’ profile would be a priority for West Ham if they didn’t have the returning Portsmouth loanee. Those players don’t come cheap either.

The Hammers had been linked with Sunderland man Jobe Bellingham, who joined Borussia Dortmund for just under £30 million. Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur are linked with a similar expenditure for Bayern Munich man Joao Palhinha and Arsenal spent a huge £55 million on signing Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad.

There’s a real hype building around the role that Potts could play for West Ham next season and, should his development over the past 12 months save the cash-strapped Hammers a £30 million investment, they have Portsmouth to thank.

In other news, West Ham handed fresh boost in bid to land Declan Rice replacement Pep Guardiola says is 'physically strong'.