Nobody ideally wants to pitch two talented young players against each other. But, at a time of the season where mistakes mean so much more, Nuno Espirito Santo starting Freddie Potts over Mohamadou Kante during West Ham United’s 2-0 defeat at Aston Villa felt like one.
A mistake, that is.
Potts was supposed to start on the bench at Villa Park. However, an injury to Jean-Clair Todibo in the warm up necessitated a change of shape, and a change of personnel.
A very underwhelming Villa Park defeat! 🙄
Describe THAT performance in one word…
Jarrod Bowen of West Ham United runs with the ball under pressure from Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and West Ham United at Villa Park on March 22, 2026 in Birmingham, England.
In hindsight, West Ham United failing to take advantage of Tottenham’s latest home humiliation a few miles across London, selecting Freddie Potts to take Todibo’s place in the XI ahead of Mohamadou Kante was one Nuno Espirito Santo might have regretted.
West Ham United fans say Mohamadou Kante should’ve started at Aston Villa
Potts only lasted 45 minutes. He was replaced at the break, alongside the ineffective Taty Castellanos.
“Kante should have started,” one Hammers fan wrote on X as Aston Villa seized control from the first minute. “Not ideal losing Todibo but Potts is too pedestrian. Put that alongside [Tomas] Soucek and we have a static midfield. Kante gets up and down the pitch, and he’s physical.”
Freddie Potts during West Ham's FA Cup game against QPR.
Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
Potts did try and enable West Ham to build up from the back, dropping in between Axel Disasi and Konstantinos Mavropanos while also pressing the opposition with typical endeavour.
The elegant Ross Barkley, the goalscoring John McGinn, and the imperious Amadou Onana would dominate the central areas though, while Morgan Rogers left Potts chasing shadows as he wreaked havoc between the lines.
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Potts’ performance was in stark contrast to Mohamadou Kante’s during the FA Cup victory over Brentford.
Kante really came of age at the London Stadium that night. While obviously far from the finished article, and still unproven on the Premier League stage, Kante does possess the ground-eating athleticism and the physical power a more diminutive Potts cannot really match.
Especially up against an elite ball-carrier like Rogers and a man-mountain in Onana.
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“Kante should be starting over Potts,” another fan argues.
“Getting murdered in midfield. Sorry to say, Potts and Pablo are chasing shadows. Nothing up top, big changes needed.”
“So frustrating Kante isn’t playing over Potts. What possesses Nuno to choose Potts when you know how strong villa are in midfield? Even Soungoutou Magassa [would have been a better pick].”
“Looks out of his depth here Potts. Rogers is finding so much space in and around him.”
“West Ham’s performance is up there with one of the worst I’ve seen, and it’s been a terrible year. How is Potts playing over Kante?”
“Would have chosen Kante over Potts. Need muscle against Onana, McGinn and Barkley.’
Even when Nuno did make changes, he introduced Adama Traore and Callum Wilson. This meant that Tomas Soucek was often the only man stationed in the heart of the pitch, with Mateus Fernandes pushing forward and leaving the Czech exposed.
Kante did at least enter the fray with around ten minutes remaining, making a positive contribution in his briefest of cameos. The damage was done by then though, of course.
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