West Ham man set for exit? Derby County, Preston and Portsmouth should be on red alert | OneFootball

Freddie Potts could be finding his way back to the Championship this summer

Despite being integrated into the West Ham fold under Nuno Espírito Santo in the Portuguese boss's first few months at the club, Freddie Potts seems out of favour at the London Stadium.

The 22-year-old returned to West Ham in the summer after a very successful loan spell at Portsmouth, where he became a fan's favourite at Fratton Park and was a big part of the climb away from the relegation zone and into a 16th-placed finish last season.

Hammers fans clamoured for more of him under Graham Potter, and when he was sacked and replaced by Nuno Espírito Santo, he ended up starting 10 in 11 top-flight games between November and January.

Unfortunately, since being hooked at half time in that final start against Wolves, he's started just twice more in league action, and a red card in their extra-time win over Burton Albion in the FA Cup fourth round plunged him further down the pecking order.

Football Insider has questioned whether Potts' time as a first-teamer at West Ham is already over, and if it is, there would be a disorderly queue of Championship sides forming this coming summer to try and secure his services.

These three should be right at the front of that queue.

Derby County

After excelling in the Championship last season, there were plenty of West Ham fans hoping that they had a Premier League-ready midfielder on their hands. Unfortunately, that hasn't materialised, but it doesn't mean that the 22-year-old doesn't still have the potential to become one.

Therefore, a team like Derby County, who will have aspirations in the coming seasons to become regulars in the play-off mix and ultimately find their way back to the top flight for the first time since 2007/08, should jump at the opportunity to bring him in.

The project at Pride Park under John Eustace took a massive step forward in the summer ahead of his first season in the dugout, with many high-profile names making the switch, such as Patrick Agyemang, Lewis Travis and Carlton Morris, to name just three.

That's seen them transform from a team battling relegation to one on the fringes of the play-offs, and they'll be looking to make a splash once again this coming summer to push them over the line.

Currently, the defensive midfield spot next to Travis is being occupied by Crystal Palace loanee David Ozoh, and while the 20-year-old is someone with big potential, Potts is better now and arguably has a similar ceiling.

Especially if the Palace man doesn't sign permanently, Derby should be after Potts. But even if there's the option to sign both of them, the West Ham man should be at the top of their list.

Preston North End

While Preston North End's collapse from a side in the top six at the turn of the year to one sitting painfully in mid-table can't all be attributed to Harrison Armstrong's recall back to Everton, at least some part of it can.

We've seen this season what the presence of a tough-tackling defensive midfielder can bring to Paul Heckingbottom's side, and after failing to replace him in the January transfer window, the onus will be on bringing in someone with that sort of profile.

The play-offs are expanding to six teams next season, and Preston will be one of the many traditional mid-table second-tier sides who will see a top-eight place as an achievable target, and, therefore, will look to strengthen in preparation for a big year.

With Potts being someone capable of playing for a play-off-chasing side, the Lilywhites may see him as someone who can help them get there.

Portsmouth

If Potts does end up being touted for a move this summer, there's no doubt that Portsmouth will be interested, given the impact that the 22-year-old had in the engine room at Fratton Park last season.

It's been a clunky campaign once more for John Mousinho's side. Injuries and a general lack of form have meant that their attacking output has been disjointed, but they have missed the 22-year-old at the heart of the midfield, too.

Pompey won't want to be a side battling relegation next season if they remain in the Championship this term, so they'll be eager to make the right signings to put them in the best position possible to establish themselves in mid-table at the very least.

Potts waxed lyrical about the Portsmouth fanbase and went on record to praise the club during his time there, so if he was to move somewhere to rediscover the form that allowed him to break into the West Ham fold this year, why not revisit that exact environment?