Dougie Freedman looks set to stay as Crystal Palace’s sporting director after turning down an approach from Newcastle and agreeing a new contract.
The former Scotland striker held talks with Newcastle officials this month about potentially succeeding Dan Ashworth, who remains on gardening leave before an expected move to become Manchester United’s sporting director. The Palace chairman, Steve Parish, was said by club sources to be “doing everything he can” to help persuade Freedman to stay given his impressive recruitment since becoming sporting director in 2019, which includes scouting Marc Guéhi, Eberechi Eze and Adam Wharton, who were named in England’s training squad for Euro 2024 this week.
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It is understood Freedman has now decided to remain at Palace after agreeing a new contract that contains a significant pay rise. He played an important role in choosing Oliver Glasner to replace Roy Hodgson as Palace manager in February and is believed to have had second thoughts about walking out on the club again after such a successful end to the season brought their joint-highest Premier League finish of 10th. Freedman had two successful spells as a player iat Palace but controversially left his job as manager to take over at Bolton in 2012 with Palace in contention for promotion – a decision he has said he has always regretted.
“I knew I made the wrong decision very quickly into my Bolton career, but it was a decision I made and regrettably it was the wrong decision,” he said in 2017. “Looking back of course I wouldn’t have went, I would have stayed here and we would have had promotion [together] and it is probably one of the things that drives me on now. To make up for that disappointing decision I made.”
Parish paid Newcastle about £2m to take Alan Pardew as Palace manager in January 2015 and is believed to have demanded a similar fee for Freedman.
Freedman is set to continue his planning for the summer transfer window, with Palace braced for offers for some of their star performers, including Guéhi, Eze and Michael Olise, who is attracting interest from Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United. Guéhi, who has two years remaining on his contract, is also wanted by United and is likely to cost about £60m.
Palace have moved to sign a potential replacement, having submitted an £11.9m offer for the Morocco centre-back Chadi Riad, who spent this season on loan at Real Betis after coming through Barcelona’s academy.
