Dougie Freedman – CaughtOffside

Video: Palace chairman offers update on potential Man United pursuit of Dougie Freedman

Jason Pettigrove — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 10:27:36 +0000

Manchester United’s need for a sporting director is acute, with Crystal Palace’s Dougie Freedman one of a few names being thrown into the hat for the job.

The Telegraph (subscription required) linked Freedman amongst a handful of candidates that also included legendary player, Paolo Maldini.

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Fabrizio Romano, speaking to CaughtOffside for his Daily Briefing column, suggested that Paul Mitchell was actually the favourite, and Palace chairman, Steve Parish, speaking on the Rest is Football podcast, appeared to rule Freedman out of the running.

‘”You would have to get into the minds of those people (Manchester United decision makers) wouldn’t you,” he said.

“I certainly don’t think there’s been any conversations. It’s flattering for the club.”

Pictures from Rest is Football

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Crystal Palace man in running for major Man United role as Sir Jim turns to Sir Alex

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 08:16:26 +0000

The next few months would appear to be crucial for Man United as Sir Jim Ratcliffe looks to overhaul the sporting side of the business once his 25 percent stake in the club is ratified.

The Telegraph (subscription required) note that he will turn to Sir Alex Ferguson for advice and guidance, which is a move that’s sure to prove popular with the long-suffering Old Trafford faithful.

There’s clearly much to be done, both on the playing side as well as staffing in executive areas and otherwise, and not forgetting that the infrastructure issues that have dogged the club for years need to be addressed.

Those changes, and more, aren’t going to happen overnight, and during each step of the process, Sir Jim would do well to not only seek Sir Alex’s counsel, but to involve the supporters in some way.

The lack of inclusivity under the Glazer family has no doubt gone some way to ensuring the depth of feeling against them remains.

One appointment that could ruffle a few feathers, however, is that of a new sporting director.

The Telegraph suggest that Crystal Palace’s Dougie Freedman could be in the frame because of his relationship with Sir Alex.

Though it’s believed that other targets may be preferred, if Sir Alex is going to have any influence, then Freedman at least has a shot at impressing Sir Jim before the new appointment is announced.

It’s worth remembering that Freedman has been the author of some of the Eagles best deals of late, and with a bigger pool to swim in he might well be the ideal candidate for the job – even if the likes of Paolo Maldini and others are waiting ominously in the wings.

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Parish & Freedman think 23-year-old Palace player will be worth £100m

Jason Pettigrove — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 14:26:16 +0000

Crystal Palace have a habit of turning good players into great ones, and that particular wheel hasn’t stopped turning for a while now.

Under owner Steve Parish’s guidance, sporting director Dougie Freedman’s studious eye for a bargain and manager, Roy Hodgson’s gift for developing players, it’s no wonder that the Selhurst Park outfit have come on leaps and bounds in the past couple of seasons.

Of course, not being one of the Premier League’s ‘big boys,’ with respect, means that the club are always susceptible to the vultures circling for their best players.

One who has done particularly well of late is Marc Guehi, who can now count himself amongst the England internationals vying for a place in next year’s European Championship squad.

The 23-year-old might well have left in the summer if the south Londoners hadn’t slapped a £60m transfer fee in his head, but even that may be considered cheap in the not too distant future.

“It’s an important step forward for him (Guehi) in his career. He needs that international pedigree to go alongside all the games that he’s managing to notch up in the Premier League,” transfer expert Dean Jones said to Give Me Sport.

“One of the big reasons that Palace already valued him over £60million was because they see him as a future England international. Because of his age, they feel like this is a guy that could eventually be worth £100million given the way that the transfer market is going right now.

“His price tag has already gone up, just off the back of this international break.”

Transfer fees have begun to go through the roof, due in no small part to the emergence of the Saudi Pro League and its apparent riches over the summer.

The expectation will be that the Pro League continue to mine European football’s top division’s for the best talent available, and in time, it’s arguable that £100m will be seen as the going rate for any player at the top of his game – unthinkable even a year or so ago.

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Crystal Palace keen to sign ‘gem’ that Everton sold for £16m in 2019

Jason Pettigrove — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 16:05:29 +0000

No one can deny that Roy Hodgson has done exactly the job that he was brought in for, and, as a result, it appears that Crystal Palace will again be a Premier League team in 2023/24.

That’s something that wasn’t a forgone conclusion whilst Patrick Vieira was in charge as the Eagles hadn’t won a single game in the calendar year 2023 before the Frenchman was relieved of his duties.

Palace currently sit 12th in the English top-flight table, per the official Premier League website, and probably need just three more points to ensure their status for another season.

One more win would take them to the mythical 40-point mark, which always appears to be the number given when looking at what points are needed for Premier League safety.

Ademola Lookman

Hodgson’s excellence has seemingly allowed Steve Parish and Dougie Freedman to plan ahead a bit sooner than perhaps that would have had they not made the decision to sack Vieira.

According to 90Min, the south Londoners are interested in Ademola Lookman, who currently plies his trade with Atalanta in Serie A.

He did of course previously play for Palace’s Premier League rivals, Everton, where his former colleague, Lucas Digne, described him as a ‘gem’ on the official Everton website.

The Toffees went on to sell him for £16m per Sky Sports, and if Palace get their way, he could be making a return to England for the start of the new season.

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Freedman tracking Brazil ‘sensation’ as next Crystal Palace signing

Jason Pettigrove — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 17:01:17 +0000

Although there are still five games left to play and Crystal Palace aren’t exactly out of the woods in terms of relegation yet, it will take an incredible set of results from the teams below them for the Eagles to plummet into the Championship.

Currently sat in 12th position in the Premier League, the south Londoners are now eight points clear of third-from-bottom Leicester City after their recent mini-revival under Roy Hodgson.

The panic that appeared to be there under Patrick Vieira – who hadn’t managed to steer his side to a win in 2023 before being relieved of his duties – is a distant memory, and it allows the club to be able to start planning again properly for the immediate future.

To that end, it would seem that they’re keeping tabs on Flamengo’s Matheus Franca. According to Globo Esporte, Palace were to have a representative at Flamengo’s match against Ñublense last Wednesday to run the rule over the 19-year-old.

Back in January, The Chronicle journalist, Aaron Stokes, even described the player as a ‘sensation’ on his official Twitter account.

He also noted that the player was under contract until 2027 and his current club would want a significant fee paid for his services.

If Palace are able to position themselves well in negotiations, it will be interesting to see if they’re able to sell a vision of life at Selhurst Park and the Premier League to a player who is clearly destined for great things.

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Dougie Freedman wants Rangers midfielder as first summer signing at Palace

Luka Foley — Sun, 26 Feb 2023 13:57:28 +0000

Crystal Palace sporting director Dougie Freedman is very keen on bringing Rangers midfielder Calum Adamson to Selhurst Park.

Adamson, who is currently on international duty with Scotland’s Under-16s, has been singled out by Freedman as another youngster that could bolster the club’s academy sides.

Freedman, a Scot himself, has already dipped his hand into the Scottish market for Palace, signing Dylan Reid and Scott Banks from St Mirren and Dundee United respectively and the believed-to-be in-demand Adamson is his next target.

The Adamson rumour comes from Ben Banks of the Daily Record, who says Palace have been made aware of Adamson’s reluctance to sign a new deal at Rangers with the London club sending scouts to watch him several times this season.

??????? Good luck to Alfie Halliwell, Jack Wylie, Cammy Scott, Calum Adamson and the #SCO16s as @ScotlandNT face Cyprus. https://t.co/qzrGaKcQvR pic.twitter.com/7Xq8MjRf34

— Rangers B & Academy (@RFC_Youth) February 26, 2023

Freedman remains keen on bringing £50m star to Crystal Palace

Darren Looney — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 10:16:09 +0000

Crystal Palace are still interested in signing Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher and could make a move in January if the midfielder becomes available.

Gallagher has struggled at Stamford Bridge ever since returning from his Crystal Palace loan and transfer insider Dean Jones recently told GIVEMESPORT that Thomas Tuchel was sceptical about the 22-year-old.

The England international was excellent for Patrick Vieira’s side during the last campaign, making 34 league appearances and scoring eight goals.

The arrival of Graham Potter at Chelsea presents Gallagher with a fresh start but should that not work out, could a move back to Selhurst Park be on the cards?

Gallagher has struggled with Chelsea so far this season

According to Tom Barclay, Palace’s sporting director Dougie Freedman could register an interest in re-signing Gallagher when the transfer window is open again.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: “I wouldn’t be surprised that come January, we’re not even talking about this as a possible transfer because he’s become a big part of Graham Potter’s plans.

“But obviously, if that doesn’t prove to be the case and he is out of the picture, then a player of that quality, particularly being an England international, if he became available, then you’d be pretty certain that Palace would be interested.”

Crystal Palace chief could quit key role and seek exit to return to management

Ron Carne — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 17:25:13 +0000

Crystal Palace sporting director Dougie Freedman is reportedly interested in the Hearts managerial job as he’s been linked with an exit from Selhurst Park.

The 45-year-old has been back with the Eagles in his current role since 2017, having also enjoyed spells with the club as a player and manager.

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In turn, he undoubtedly has a close connection to the Premier League outfit, but an opportunity to return to coaching could now see him leave.

According to the Daily Record, Freedman is keen on the vacant job at Hearts and could now be set for a battle with the likes of Graham Alexander, Felix Magath and Billy Davies who have all been linked with a move to Scotland too.

Time will tell whether or not Freedman gets the job, but with Palace continuing to go relatively well with the current hierarchy and staff in place, they will surely be eager to avoid any disruption to that moving forward.

Equally though, they may not stand in the way of Freedman’s desire to return to management given his service to the club over the years, and so it remains to be seen how the situation plays out.

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Nottingham Forest Appoint Dougie Freedman as New Manager Following Stuart Pearce Sacking

Max Miller — Sun, 01 Feb 2015 23:43:35 +0000

The Scot has formerly managed Bolton Wanderers and Crystal Palace…

Nottingham Forest announced the appointment of Dougie Freedman as their new manager on Sunday on their official website.

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The 40-year-old has arrived to take over from club legend Stuart Pearce, who was sacked on the same day as his hiring. It is not the first time that the Scot has been involved with Forest, having played for them between the years of 1998 and 2000. He made 83 appearances for the Championship club, scoring 23 goals.

Freedman has managed both Crystal Palace and Bolton Wanderers before this appointment. He only left the Reebok stadium back in October after a run of only one victory in ten matches. His time at the Eagles was far happier, saving them from relegation to League One during his tenure and earning his move to Bolton.

After a strong start to the season, Nottingham Forest have dropped off the pace, and are lying in 12th in the Championship, 13 points off the play off places.

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