Portsmouth urged to prioritise West Ham transfer agreement this summer - he's "unstoppable" | OneFootball

FLW's Pompey fan pundit wants to see his club go in for Freddie Potts again this summer

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Portsmouth have been urged to try and extend their loan agreement with West Ham for young midfielder Freddie Potts to cover next season, after he recently signed a new contract with the Irons amid John Mousinho's claims of their interest in re-signing him for 2025/26.

Potts joined Mousinho's side last summer on a season-long loan from the East London outfit, ahead of their return to the Championship, and he has impressed so far this term, with eight games of the season left to play and Pompey edging ever closer to safety.

The 21-year-old has been on West Ham's books since the age of six, but has made just three appearances for their senior team so far. He signed a new contract to commit his future to his boyhood club until 2029 last week, but competition for places is strong within Graham Potter's squad, and they could look to let him leave on loan again this summer.

Portsmouth fan pundit offers Freddie Potts return verdict amid Mousinho comments

Potts has been a regular starter for Portsmouth in the middle of the park this season, when fit, with one goal and four assists in 30 appearances in all competitions up to now.

He has won the hearts of supporters at Fratton Park for the tenacity and quality that he has added to their ranks, and at 21-years-old, he clearly has a bright future ahead in the game.

West Ham are obviously well aware of his talents and potential, and they moved to extend his deal at the London Stadium for another four years last week, with sporting director Mark Noble insisting that the club have "high hopes" for him to become a first-team regular soon.

The jump up to the Premier League from the Championship is a tough one, however, and Pompey stand in good stead to land Potts' services if the Hammers see fit to sanction another loan deal for him this summer.

Boss Mousinho believes that they will be at the front of the queue for the Barking-born enforcer's signature if the opportunity arises, and FLW's Portsmouth fan pundit, Miltos Ioannidis, has urged the club to try and snap him up again ahead of next term, as he thinks that it is the right level for him to be playing at, at this stage of his development.

“I think we will be after Freddie Potts for next season, obviously as a loan deal, because he has just signed a new deal with West Ham,” Miltos told FLW.

“I think the likelihood of us getting him, or not, basically comes down to whether West Ham evaluate and see Potts as a player that is ready to impact their first-team at present.

“In my opinion, he has been a great player for us, but I’m not quite certain if he would be ready for Prem (Premier League) level just yet.

“There have been games where he’s absolutely bossed it, and you’ve been left wondering how this player can not be in the West Ham squad, considering how poor their midfield has been at times this season.

“Then there have been other games where he’s been alright. He’s not done anything wrong, but not anything extraordinary either.

“Then, other games where he has, kind of, not been as good for us. More particularly, games where he hasn’t had a stable, formed partnership with the other midfielder.

“That certainly hasn’t helped, but I think that as time, and as the season, has progressed, these games have become less and less frequent.

“I think it’s about him continuing his development as it is right now. I’m not sure if he would be ready for a promotion-chasing Championship team…yet.

“A second loan to Portsmouth could be exactly what he needs right now, because he is a player that, on his day, he can be absolutely unstoppable.

“Take the recent game against Leeds United, he and Andre Dozzell were way better than Ilia Gruev and Ao Tanaka. They were much better.

“Here, we come back to the essence of having a good partnership with the other midfielder. I think the Potts-Dozzell partnership has worked wonders.

“It’s taken a little bit of time for both of them to click into their assigned roles, but it’s a partnership that really seems to be clicking. When Potts has the right profiles around him, he can really excel.

“My estimation is that we will be after him for another season. I think he would suit a club like Portsmouth, to come back for another year.

“Obviously, you never know, maybe Graham Potter sees Potts in the summer and his mind goes like ‘okay, this lad is ready to come into our team now.’

“In that case, it would not be good news for us, but we can’t do anything about it. We’ll have to wait and see. I think it would be good if he was to come for another season.”

Potts has enjoyed his spell at Pompey - a second loan spell seems plausible

Potts was performing so well in the first-half of this season that rumours emerged in January over West Ham potentially being set to recall him to either loan him out to a higher-placed side or keep him for their own squad.

They instead decided against any such decision, and that has proven to be the correct thing to do, given his continued strong form and clear development at Fratton Park over the last few months.

It is clear that the 21-year-old is a part of the Irons' long-term plans, and he could one day possess the ability to be a regular in the top-flight for his boyhood club, but any immediate breakthrough does seem unlikely, given the club's ambitions to compete in the top-half of the Premier League and for European competitions.

Sending him out on loan again certainly seems like the most sensible and likely option for them to take this summer, and a return to Pompey will surely be Potts' priority, given how much he looks to have enjoyed his time playing under John Mousinho so far.

"Pompey has probably been the most important period of my career. It has helped me turn into a man rather than the 20-year-old I was when I joined," he told The News this week.

"The Championship is obviously the next step before the Premier League. The main goal was to start as many games as possible. Wycombe helped last year because it gave me an opportunity to show myself in the Football League, but Pompey’s a new level.

"I feel I have become more confident in myself over the time because I’ve adapted to the intensity and how quick the league is. Technically, as a player, I’m better.

"I was a bit frustrated with myself at some of my performances when I first joined, now I’ve found more consistency and I’m a bit more of a leader now, more vocal. That’s what happens when you are playing against talented, bigger players in the Championship.

"I’m 100 per cent a better player. Recently I have shown more to people what I can do compared to the start of the season. My performances have gradually become better and better as the season has gone.

"I feel I’ve done well, but I want to keep proving myself in these last few weeks. I want to do well for the club - and I want the club to stay up. I have gained invaluable experience from being at Pompey. I’ve learnt so, so much, it has turned me into a new player and probably a man now."

Potts is clearly enjoying life at Fratton Park, and his main focus right now will be helping the club to stay away from relegation danger over the next five weeks. Pompey sit 17th in the second-tier, but are just four points from Derby County in 22nd spot, so they need to win their next few to make sure they are safe with a few games remaining.

Their survival will play a huge part in the 21-year-old's potential return in the summer, as he is certainly not going to want to drop back into League One. Mousinho's side look like they will have enough to stay up though, and Potts may well be back in PO4 for 2025/26 as a result.