'Premier League next year' - West Ham's academy graduate Freddie Potts stars on the ball in QPR win

Efficient, aggressive and now a Portsmouth goalscorer. West Ham’s Freddie Potts put on an excellent display as Portsmouth beat Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road, securing their first win in the Championship.

Pott’s performance will not only have pleased his loan club’s fanbase but, with West Ham having lost 4-1 to Tottenham Hotspur, will undoubtedly have caught the eye of a struggling Julen Lopetegui. 

His start to life at Fratton Park has not been as successful as many might have hoped, with the West Ham academy graduate promising more than what has been delivered on the field so far. 

However, if the recent 90 minutes of football was anything to go by, it’s clear that with every game that passes, Potts finds himself more and more at ease in his new home, with his dexterity and proficiency on the ball 

The 21-year-old midfielder was an ever-present figure throughout the opening 45 minutes and while his initial touches of the ball exhibited signs of a ‘cool, calm and collected’ player, the young Irons star was equally unafraid to join in on Pompey’s more combative techniques of play. 

The day would not stop just there, however, with the Irons loan player scoring his first ever Blues goal after 18 minutes of action, being able to level the playing field following a Kader Dembele opener. 

It has sadly not been an uncommon sight in the Blues’ set-up with defensive errors gifting Dembele the perfect opportunity to put the home side one nil up after just nine minutes of play. 

However, Potts’ effectiveness on the pitch truly took its’ form when, just nine minutes later, the rising star was able to pounce on a loose ball at the top of the box, beating the numerous Rs defenders that were showing no signs of defensive capabilities. 

Speaking to the media after the match, Potts’ Pompey head coach John Mousinho said of his display: “The goals are something we didn’t bring Freddie in to provide us with. He’s got that if we absolutely need him to. But for a 21-year-old, he’s very, very composed, very calm. Competing in the Championship for the first time. 

“Competing as well as he is, he looks every inch the Championship player and his goal for us this season should obviously be to focus on what he can do for us at Portsmouth but also to return to West Ham next year as a Premier League player.”