‘A failure’: Former Portsmouth favourite blasted after £10m West Ham exit
Freddie Potts appeared 38 times for Pompey during his successful 2024-25 season-long loan from West Ham.
Former Pompey loanee Freddie Potts is already in the firing line after just a month with new side Club Brugge.
Despite a strong start to life at Jan Breydel Stadium, which has seen the 23-year-old start the opening seven matches in all competitions, he has since faced strong criticism following the Blauw-Zwart’s defeat to Aston Villa in the Champions League last week.
Potts was withdrawn in the closing stages of the 3-2 reverse against Unai Emery’s side, with his performance coming under fire from Brugge legend and ex-Belgian international Franky van der Elst.
Former Pompey & West Ham man blasted
The 65-year-old insisted the highly-rated summer signing’s displays have so far ‘annoyed’ him, having previously claimed he could do a better job in midfield.
Speaking to Sports Witness, van der Elst said: ‘Potts needs to have the courage to play the ball forward.
‘That isn’t happening right now. Gert backed this up with a map showing Potts’s passes. Barely four were directed forward, and not a single one found its target. That’s simply not enough. You could sense Gert’s frustration while he was explaining it on TV.
‘All those backward passes annoyed me, too. It’s as if Potts doesn’t realize he can turn, play forward, or switch flanks. He needs to scan his surroundings better. Perhaps it’s a lack of confidence, or a failure to read the game situation – or a combination of all those things.
‘Show him the footage. Point out where he could have done better.
‘Constantly have him practice turning and playing the ball forward during training sessions. It’s something you can train. It doesn’t matter if he plays a bad pass now and then; that happens to everyone.
‘Club Brugge often plays against a low block – like they did recently against AA Gent. Especially against teams like that, you have to dare to play between the lines, look for gaps, and play at a higher tempo. He could take a leaf out of Stankovic’s book in that respect.’
Freddie Potts’ impressive Pompey stay
After arriving at Fratton Park on a season-long loan in August 2024, Potts enjoyed an outstanding campaign away from West Ham.
The midfielder established himself in John Mousinho’s Championship engine room, registering 38 appearances in all competitions.
His impressive stay was rewarded with a fresh contract extension at the London Stadium in March 2025, ruling out a potential permanent return to PO4 that summer.
Potts remained in east London last term and featured 22 times in the Premier League for West Ham, who were relegated on the final day last term.
But following their Championship return, Nuno Espirito Santo opted to sanction a permanent exit for the former England youth international in the summer window, joining Club Brugge in a £10m deal.
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