Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is impressed by Cologne's Germany winger Said El Mala, 19, and is having him closely monitored by scouts. (Sky Sports Germany - in German), external
Nottingham Forest will not consider selling England midfielder Elliot Anderson in the forthcoming transfer window and value the 23-year-old in excess of £100m amid strong interest from Manchester United and his former club Newcastle. (Telegraph - subscription required), external
Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes is open to joining Manchester United with a fee of £44m enough to prise the 24-year-old Brazilian away from Molineux in January. (Record - in Portuguese), external
Manchester United will not strengthen their midfield in January and will hold out until next summer when they follow up on interest in Brighton's Cameroon international Carlos Baleba and Crystal Palace's England international Adam Wharton, both 21, as well as Stuttgart's 24-year-old Germany international Angelo Stiller. (ESPN), external
Liverpool's hopes of signing Antoine Semenyo, 25, from Bournemouth in the January transfer window have been dealt a blow with the Cherries unwilling to sell the Ghana winger during the season. (Teamtalk), external
Germany striker Niclas Fullkrug, 32, is set to leave West Ham in January and is in talks with clubs in the Bundesliga. (Fabrizio Romano), external
Former Brentford striker Ivan Toney is set to remain with Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli despite interest in the 29-year-old Englishman from Tottenham, Everton and West Ham. (Football Insider), external
Atletico Madrid and England midfielder Conor Gallagher has ruled out leaving the La Liga club in the near future and said he is "very happy" in the Spanish capital amid links with Manchester United. (AS - in Spanish), external
AZ Alkmaar striker Troy Parrott's heroics with the Republic of Ireland have put the 23-year-old former Tottenham player in contention for a return to the Premier League. (Times - subscription required) , external
Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid are set to enter a bidding war for Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz after contract talks between the 20-year-old Turkey international and the Turin club stalled. (Caughtoffside)
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PREMIER LEAGUE
Manchester United would have to pay around €50m (£44m) if they want to secure the January signing of Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes - Record (Portugal)
Manchester United rejected Romeo Lavia as part of the deal to sell Alejandro Garnacho to Chelsea in the summer - ESPN
Man Utd and Newcastle target Elliot Anderson is on course to become the next £100m-plus English player with Nottingham Forest ready to adopt a tough stance on his future - The Telegraph
Tottenham plan to extend Yves Bissouma's contract to stop him leaving on a free transfer at the end of the season - Daily Mail
Arsenal are among a number of Premier League clubs reviewing their position on a controversial new salary cap, with the proposal under serious threat before Friday's scheduled vote on the issue - The Times
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard says that his injury is 'starting to look better' amid hope that he'll be available for this Sunday's North London derby - The Mirror
The release of the £2.35bn Chelsea sale fund has been held up by a legal row between Roman Abramovich and Jersey - The Telegraph
INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL
Thomas Tuchel says he will consider travelling to Real Madrid to talk to Trent Alexander-Arnold about his England prospects - Daily Mail
BOXING
Anthony Joshua's £140m fight with YouTuber Jake Paul would have been banned from taking place in the UK amid serious safety fears over the heavyweight bout - The Telegraph
Carl Froch says Anthony Joshua's career is over after he agreed to fight YouTuber Jake Paul - The Sun
F1
The McLaren chief executive officer Zak Brown has claimed that Max Verstappen is effectively running Red Bull and team members seem afraid of the four-times world champion - The Times
The Athletic
Freddie Potts: The boyhood West Ham fan ‘who has what it takes to be captain’
Richard Pelham/Getty Images
By Roshane Thomas
During Freddie Potts’ first appearance for Marshalls Park Academy’s football team, PE teacher Paul Aylett witnessed an extraordinary goal that still sticks with him.
Aylett was midway through eulogising Potts’ abilities to a teacher from an opposition school, when the then 11-year-old midfielder left onlookers speechless.
“His siblings (Dan, Harry and Georgina) attended the school, so Freddie was the baby of the family, but a lot of people told me to watch out for him,” recalls Aylett. “In his first match, I told this teacher to keep an eye on Freddie because he’s quality. Seconds later, he chested the ball and volleyed it in the top right-hand corner from 20 yards. People started clapping, it was that good.
“The teacher then says to me, ‘I think you’re right!’. Freddie scored a hat-trick in that game. After I told him, ‘I’ve been waiting for a player like you for over 20 years’. I should’ve got him to sign a piece of paper as a souvenir! His technical ability was good for a Year 7 kid.”
Marshalls Park Academy is located in Romford, a 30-minute drive from the London Stadium. Potts, now 22, was already on the books at West Ham United before his moment of brilliance. Freddie, son of club legend Steve Potts, the current first-team coach, and brother to former academy graduate and Luton Town defender Dan Potts, joined his boyhood side aged six.
Potts has recently ascended to the first team under head coach Nuno Espirito Santo. He was named man of the match in his first Premier League start, the 3-1 win against Newcastle United. Potts kept his place as West Ham beat Burnley the following week, but a hamstring injury means he’s a doubt for this weekend’s trip to Bournemouth.
This is a step up from him being a peripheral figure under Graham Potter, under whom he only played 45 minutes. Under Nuno, he has featured in five of West Ham’s last six games. But the young midfielder was always determined to follow in the footsteps of his relatives.
“When he was in Year 9, we were in the third round of the national cup and we needed to score,” says Aylett. “We were awarded a free kick in a good area and you know what kids are like, ‘I’ll take it!’, ‘No I’ll take it!’. I told Freddie to take it, and it went in the top corner.
Potts playing for West Ham against BurnleyJustin Setterfield/Getty Images
“You know the figures, only 0.01 per cent of academy players make it professionally, but Fred was head and shoulders above everyone. Looking back now, that goal gave me the belief he’d make it. He wanted to emulate his dad and older brother, and he was obsessed with West Ham.”
The midfielder made his first-team debut in the Europa League tie against Dinamo Zagreb in December 2021. Six months prior, aged 17, and only a year into his initial scholarship deal, the youngster signed his first professional contract. That summer had been a turning point in Potts’ trajectory. When the first team returned from their training camp in St Andrews, a seaside town on Scotland’s east coast, ex-manager David Moyes asked academy coaches who from the youth team deserved to feature in their pre-season friendly against Leyton Orient. They mentioned Potts, which led to the midfielder playing 45 minutes.
“He deserved that moment, and he was fast-tracked to the under-23s after,” says former youth team coach Dmitri Halajko. “He was 17 when he trained with the under-23s, and he had the mentality of a player in his early twenties. He became a reliable player and never dropped down the age group after. We played Manchester United’s under-23s in an away game. Freddie was one of the youngest players on the pitch, but it didn’t faze him. His confidence is one of his best attributes. Seeing him be so comfortable in a big game was another reminder that the club has a good player on their hands. Most young players are inconsistent because they’re still developing, but Freddie remained consistent.
“Kevin Nolan (the ex-first-team coach and now manager of League One side Northampton Town) used to approach me in the morning before training and ask who’s doing well. If we had an opportunity to push Freddie to train with the first team, we always would. There are some players you’d send over there, and you’d worry what type of day they’d have. That was never the case with Freddie and he got to learn from Mark Noble (the former club captain and now sporting director) and Declan Rice (who joined Arsenal for £105million in July 2023).
“That’s why I’m massively proud of him and really happy for his family. Steve must be proud as a dad to watch his son break into the first team. Freddie has worked hard for this moment and deserves all the praise he’s received. He’s a leader and has what it takes to become a future West Ham captain.”
Potts has had peaks. He was in the squad for the Conference League final win over Fiorentina — although he told The Athletic in 2023 did not realise until very late in the day. He has his shirt and medal framed.
The following month, Potts joined League One side Wycombe Wanderers on a season-long loan. He scored two goals and registered three assists across 43 appearances, was named player of the year and helped Wycombe reach the final of the Bristol Street Motors Trophy, which they lost 2-1 to Peterborough United.
“He really kicked on after his goal and assist against Fleetwood Town,” says former West Ham trainee and Wycombe midfielder Kieran Sadlier. “He cemented himself in the team and was constantly one of our standout performers. His goal against Charlton Athletic was ridiculous, but what surprised me about him was how hard he was on himself. Most young lads have one good game and think they’ve cracked it, but Fred never felt a good performance get to his head. I love seeing young players do well. I saw Declan come through at West Ham, I played with Jacob Ramsey (the Newcastle United playmaker) during his loan at Doncaster, Conor Bradley (the Liverpool defender) at Bolton and now Fred.
“Before the Newcastle game started, I was out with my son. We returned for the second half, and I noticed Fred was playing. He’d been playing 20 minutes here and there, so I was chuffed for him that he’d started. I told him recently that he could really cement himself in the midfield alongside Lucas Paqueta and Matheus Fernandes. He does have that attacking side in his game. Noble and Josh Cullen (the Burnley midfielder) played in midfield, but Fred is a bit similar to Declan with his offensive runs. Cullen and Noble didn’t really do that, but Fred can strike from distance. That’s something we will see more of.”
Potts would impress again during a loan spell at Portsmouth last season. He helped the club retain their Championship status. He scored once and registered four assists across 38 appearances. Potts, though, returned to West Ham — and it is working out for him this season.
Potts played against Michail Antonio in the PlayStation Schools CupPaul Aylett
He made his top-flight debut against Chelsea in August and has since shown he is capable of playing in the Premier League. With West Ham embroiled in a relegation fight, ahead of games against Bournemouth (a), Liverpool (h) and Manchester United (a), Potts will be desperate to ensure their survival in the coming months. It is a leadership trait he has displayed since his days at Marshalls Park.
“We had a PlayStation tournament (in November 2016) and when I was asked which of the kids could play with Michail Antonio (West Ham’s all-time Premier League goalscorer), it had to be Freddie,” says Aylett. “Freddie beat him on FIFA 17, and he loved every minute of it. As cliched as it sounds, he’s a winner. I used to get him involved in team talks because he was great at encouraging players who weren’t good. I’m massively proud of him.
“When he plays, I tell my wife, ‘Freddie’s on TV!’. I’ve seen people say Freddie is the new Declan Rice, but he can be his own self and become an even better player. There’s nothing stopping him from becoming a legend at the club he loves.”