March 21 2025

Dougie Freedman

Dougie Freedman has responded to Crystal Palace's request four times, writes Marc Toomey.

The thrilling late goal against Stockport County at Edgeley Park on May 6, 2001, ensured Palace’s status in the second tier.

On May 2, 2010, with Freedman serving as assistant manager and the club facing administration, they accomplished this again with a 2-2 draw against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough. This result effectively safeguarded the Palace from liquidation.

Then there was New Year's Day in 2011 when Freedman took over as interim manager following George Burley's dismissal and guided them to Championship safety.

Finally, in October 2017, he healed a strained relationship with chairman Steve Parish. He returned to Selhurst Park as sporting director, solidifying his cult hero reputation at the club with the success he has since experienced. He has closed the door on them four times.

He is once again moving on to a new challenge. He leaves a great legacy, a group of insecure young players in the Premier League's mid-table, and an expanded reputation as a talent scout, but the club is left wondering what comes next.

Freedman’s Recruitment Strategy and Its Impact

Freedman adopted a strategy focused on attracting younger talent to the club, persuading Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise, Marc Guehi, Cheick Doucoure, and Adam Wharton to advance their careers with a mid-table team in the Premier League.

The opportunities they have received on the field have enabled them to thrive at Selhurst Park, demonstrating their skill level. Throughout this process, each of them has also earned recognition at the senior international stage.

The plan produced profits, making Palace more self-sufficient in the transfer market than before Freedman's appointment.

Who Will Replace Freedman at Palace?

Palace can utilise the services of Iain Moody, a consultant at the club for several years. His experience lies in journalism, with Palace frequently drawing on his language abilities during negotiations with players and clubs. The 50-year-old, who previously worked with Watford and Cardiff City, held the position of sporting director at Palace from October 2013 to August 2014.

However, after a text message controversy from his tenure at Cardiff alongside manager Malky Mackay, he stepped down, returning in that consultancy capacity years later.

Moody's responsibilities will expand due to Freedman's exit, likely collaborating mainly with Parish in the near term, and he might be given a permanent role at the club. However, his expertise does not encompass identifying and scouting targets; he excels in managing negotiations, drafting contracts, and interacting with the involved parties.

There are external candidates available that the Palace may want to consider if they decide to find a direct replacement for Freedman.

Kevin Thelwell will leave Everton in the summer, while Dan Ashworth has failed to find work since leaving Manchester United in December. However, he may be better suited to Moody's post than Freedman's. Palace would ideally require a figure capable of discovering fresh recruits, spotting potential that can be developed, and persuading that talent to transfer to Selhurst Park.

Glasner is now negotiating a new contract and will want to ensure that a sporting director succession plan does not disturb his ambitions. Glasner will not want to see a repetition of this season's poor start, which he attributes to four arrivals on transfer deadline day and the resulting lack of integration.

Parish and Freedman’s partnership has gone through difficult times; however, since 2017, they have consistently managed to collaborate. The resignation of the sporting director will be a source of distress for the chairman, similar to the situation in 2012 when he abruptly left to go to Bolton. In 2023, the chairman mentioned on the High-Performance Podcast that Freedman was the top person he had employed during the 13 years of his tenure.

He was familiar with the Palace and the working circumstances there. He had a positive relationship with Parish for the most part.

Palace can still prosper. Parish has done this previously. He will just have to trust whoever succeeds Freedman, or the system put in place, from the start so Palace can start on their latest summer of disruption.

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