The football world has been rocked by the news that Dougie Freedman is leaving his position as Crystal Palace’s sporting director, and one Championship outfit may be worried they have the perfect replacement for the Eagles.
Freedman has built a strong reputation during his time at Selhurst Park with Palace, a club he made over 300 appearances for during his playing days.
Since stepping behind the scenes, Freedman has been instrumental in establishing Palace in the Premier League, and his keen eye for top talent — particularly players from the Championship — earned him praise throughout the game.
Now, as Freedman embarks on a new adventure in Saudia Arabia, Palace are looking for his replacement, and EFL Analysis understands Middlesbrough could be the club the Londoners turn to to fill that void.
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
Middlesbrough’s Kieran Scott could be a Crystal Palace target
We are told by TBR Football’s Chief Football Correspondent, Graeme Bailey, that Middlesbrough’s sporting director Kieran Scott is a name that could be of interest to Palace, as he forges his own impeccable reputation in the Football League.
Bailey said: “Scott is held in high regard following the work he has done at Middlesbrough, building on the reputation he built up during his time at Norwich City.
“He has picked out some brilliant young names at ‘Boro, having played his part in spotting and landing the likes of Morgan Rogers and Rav van den Berg.”
Scott has been in his role at the Riverside since August 2021 and is well respected throughout the game now.
However, it is worth noting that Middlesbrough’s recruitment has been criticised of late, particularly for their failure to reinforce the defensive line in January.
It is thought Brentford’s technical director, Lee Dykes, could also be on Palace’s shortlist when it comes to replacing Freedman, as per TBR Football.
Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images
Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images
Crystal Palace have raided the Championship time and time again
Over the years, it is not understating matters to suggest that Crystal Palace have been the main benefactor of second tier talent, offering a handful of the best players in the Championship a pathway to the Premier League.
Just this year, the Eagles snapped up Romaine Esse from Millwall. In recent years, they’ve also benefited from the likes of Adam Wharton, Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise, and, technically, Marc Guehi (owned by Chelsea but was on loan at Swansea), rising from impressive stints in the EFL to thrive in the top flight.
Player From Fee Date
Romaine Esse Millwall £12m January 2025
Adam Wharton Blackburn £18m February 2024
Michael Olise Reading £8.3m July 2021
Marc Guehi Chelsea (Swansea loan) £18m July 2021
Eberechi Eze QPR £16m August 2020
Selected Crystal Palace transfers
If Palace were to go for Kieran Scott, they would surely maintain that trend of mining the division below for the hottest talent. Given the success of that model to date, we’re sure fans would want to keep up that approach rather than heading in a radical direction.
The beauty of Palace’s system of scouring the Football League is, they grab these special players for very reasonable fees, and then, as we saw with Olise, sell them on for massive profits. It might be frustrating to see your best players move on, but you can’t argue with the logic of it from a business point of view.