'Potent' isn't really a term you can apply to anyone. He has shown something though and perhaps he needs a few consecutive starts to prove/disprove the argument?
You're determined to believe it's just tosh because another journalist believes it to be. Fair enough, but I fail to see how 1 journalist suggesting another is talking bollox is enough to shut it down.
I doubt very much Hughes has written this without some reasonable information coming his...