Dan Potts (footballer)

West Ham United

Born in Barking, Greater London, Potts joined West Ham United aged nine and signed as a scholar in May 2010. He made his reserve team debut away to Wolverhampton Wanderers on 27 April 2011, and his senior debut at home on 17 December in a 1–0 victory over Barnsley, just one day after signing a two-and-a-half-year professional contract with the club. He received the Young Hammer of the Year award in May 2012 after making four appearances in 2011–12, in which West Ham were promoted back to the Premier League after a 2–1 win over Blackpool in the 2012 Football League Championship play-off Final at Wembley Stadium.

On 22 November 2012, Potts joined League One club Colchester United on loan until 22 December. He made his debut for the club one day later in a 5–1 defeat away to Milton Keynes Dons. Potts' loan was extended on 21 December for a further month.

On 3 January 2013, Potts was recalled from his loan by West Ham. Two days later, Potts was named in the starting lineup for West Ham's 2–2 draw with Manchester United in the FA Cup third round. Potts made his full Premier League debut in a 3–0 defeat away to Sunderland on 12 January, during which he made an error that led to the second goal. In the FA Cup third-round replay, Potts was once again named in the starting lineup as West Ham were knocked out of the competition after a 1–0 away defeat. Potts came on as a 62nd-minute substitute for Jack Collison in a 5–1 defeat away to Arsenal on 23 January, but later suffered concussion after a clash of heads with Bacary Sagna. He was released from hospital the next day and played no further part in 2012–13.

On 20 November 2013, Potts joined League Two club Portsmouth on a one-month loan deal. He made his debut in a 2–1 defeat to Scunthorpe United at Fratton Park. He returned to West Ham in December, having made five appearances for Portsmouth.

In 2014–15, Potts made one appearance for West Ham in a 1–1 draw with Sheffield United on 26 August 2014 in the League Cup, which they eventually lost 5–4 on penalties after a penalty shoot-out. He was released by West Ham at the end of the season after 12 years with the club.

Luton Town

Potts signed a two-year contract with League Two club Luton Town one day after his release by West Ham. Initially, he only played in cup competitions, hence making his Luton debut in a 3–1 win at home to newly promoted Championship club Bristol City in the League Cup on 11 August 2015. Potts made his second appearance almost two months later in a 2–1 defeat away to League One club Gillingham in the Football League Trophy on 6 October. He made four league appearances during the month of October, taking the place of Scott Griffiths who was spending more time with his wife after complications during the birth of their son. During this time, Potts made his first league appearance for Luton in a 1–1 draw with York City on 10 October. However, Potts went off injured after 28 minutes in a 2–1 defeat at home to Plymouth Argyle on 24 October and was replaced by Alex Lawless. He was then dropped to the bench for Luton's 2–0 win away to Dagenham & Redbridge one week later. Potts was made to wait for his next opportunity in the first-team, until an injury to Jake Howells saw him make his first start since October in a 1–0 win away to Leyton Orient on 5 March 2016. He was beginning to establish himself as a first-team player when he suffered an ankle injury in a 1–0 win away to Plymouth Argyle on 19 March. Potts returned to the starting lineup three weeks later in a 2–0 defeat at home to Accrington Stanley. He retained his place in the first-team for the remainder of 2015–16 and finished the season with 16 appearances.

International career

As his father was born in the United States, Potts was presumed eligible to play for both the England national football team and the United States men's national soccer team. Potts was invited and took part in a United States under-20 camp in 2011. He made his debut for the United States under-20 team as a substitute, playing 21 minutes in a 2–1 defeat to France in a friendly in Vichy. However, in April 2012, U.S. Soccer officials determined that Potts was not eligible for U.S. citizenship, as his father did not meet residency requirements to pass along citizenship to his son, meaning he could no longer play for the United States at any level.

Potts played the first half for the England national under-18 team in a 3–0 win over Poland at Crewe's Alexandra Stadium on 7 March 2012. Later that year, he progressed to the England national under-19 team, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 win over Finland in a friendly on 13 November. On 21 March 2013, Potts played another full 90 minutes in a 1–0 win over Turkey.

On 28 May 2013, he was named in manager Peter Taylor's 21-man squad for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Potts made his England national under-20 team debut in a warm-up match on 16 June as a 45th-minute substitute in a 3–0 win over Uruguay. He played the full 90 minutes of England's first Group E match, a 2–2 draw with Iraq on 23 June. Three days later, Potts conceded a penalty as England drew 1–1 with Chile. After receiving a yellow card in the first two group matches, Potts was suspended for the final group match against Egypt, which England lost 2–0, thus they were eliminated from the competition after failing to win a match.

Personal life

Potts is the son of former West Ham United captain Steve Potts and attended Marshalls Park School in Romford. At 12-years-old, Potts was diagnosed with leukaemia. However, just before his 16th birthday he was given the all clear.

Career statistics

Honours

West Ham United

Individual