One of the most surprising pieces of West Ham’s summer business was their decision to allow Freddie Potts to join Club Brugge. However, Carlton Cole has backed the player he calls his “adopted son” to tear things up in Belgium and one day return to the London Stadium as a more capable player.
Ex-Hammers striker Cole has a healthy relationship with the midfielder, having worked as loan manager and overseeing Potts’ impressive season with Portsmouth. That year on the south coast earned the 23-year-old some top-class performances under Nuno Espirito Santo last season, including an impressive Premier League debut in a 3-1 win over Newcastle United.
Relegation from the Premier League has forced West Ham to think carefully about their summer business. Potts was one of several players sold to make way for the rebuild – Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville were among the others – with some new additions brought in, including Arne Engels and Manor Solomon.
Potts made the brave decision to move to Belgium, allowing him to test himself at another top level competition when he made his Champions League debut with Aston Villa. Cole, who spent a season in Indonesia near the end of his career, hopes more will follow the youngster’s example.
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“I spoke to him before the Brugge game because I want to keep him relevant enough here because he’s my son,” Cole told football.london exclusively via LiveScoreBet. “I talked to his dad that day. I said, ‘Steve, you know this is my adopted son.’ Because I love the kid. I want him to be okay.
“He does everything it says on the tin. He works hard. Managers want different things from different players and I think Nuno probably would have kept him in there and around, but he probably felt he wanted to give him more playing time elsewhere. And if someone came in for him, he would give it to him. It wouldn’t be a loan again. He had to go and spread his wings.
“I’m grateful to have had the time to work with someone as professional as Freddie and he’s done a really good job. I’m delighted for what he’s done and what he’s given to the club. And I hope he does well and [one day] back to the club.”
Potts isn’t the first to spread his wings, and he’s unlikely to be the last. We’ve also seen former players take a chance on management overseas – from Liam Rosenior in France to Scott Parker in Belgium – and Cole can only see positives in Potts’ decision.
“We’ve seen it with Jude Bellingham, now we’ve seen it with his brother. We’ve seen it with Jadon Sancho,” he said.
“We saw it with all these great examples that you can come out here, spread your wings, you don’t have to play at a lower level. Sometimes you can go and play in another country in another high league and get the experience you need. Play Champions League football, come back stronger and better.
“So was Josh Cullen, he went to Belgium and came back, captained Burnley, did really well and then made a career for himself. So it can be done and I’m really glad some of these guys are starting to realize it’s not just about England. There are other places to go and ply your trade.”
Club Brugge may have made a losing start in Europe, but they are one point off the top of the Belgian Pro League. Potts will no doubt be hoping to ensure they are still in the tight end by the end of the season.