Crystal Palace have confirmed the departure of sporting director Dougie Freedman, and now the Eagles are eyeing up a controversial move in a bid to replace him, according to a recent report.
Freedman leaves Selhurst Park for Saudi Arabia
The 50-year-old has been with the South Londoners since 2017 and has been at the heart of their recent success off the pitch in terms of bringing players such as Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze, Marc Guehi, Adam Wharton, and Dean Henderson to the club.
Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann during the warm up before the match Related
[Crystal Palace eyeing Griezmann-esque £21m forward who's an "absolute star"](https://www.footballfancast.com/crystal-palace-eyeing-move-for-sindre-walle-egeli-griezmann/ "Crystal Palace eyeing Griezmann-esque £21m forward who's an "absolute star"")
The Eagles are closely following a young forward who has been compared to Antoine Griezmann.
Freedman was linked with moves to Manchester United and Newcastle United in the past to take up similar roles, but he remained at Crystal Palace and continued to work with Steve Parish. However, on Monday, that came to an end, as he has now left his role at Palace to take up a role overseas, believed to be in Saudi Arabia.
Palace confirmed Freedman’s departure in a statement on their official website, in which Freedman also spoke and stated how much of an “honour” it had been to work at Palace, and he is “incredibly proud” of the work that has been done. "I would like to extend my thanks to Steve Parish, the other owners and to all the staff, managers and players who have been at the club during my time here. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed learning from and working alongside you all.
dougie-freedman
"It’s been an honour to represent the club, and I am incredibly proud of the work that’s been done, with the Chairman’s support, in growing the football club into its current position. To be leaving the club with a squad full of exciting talent led by an excellent manager, I truly believe the foundations are in place to be built upon.
“Finally, a huge thank you to all the fans for your continued support and passion - especially with how you’ve helped new signings and academy products settle into life at Selhurst Park by supporting and getting behind the team.
"Crystal Palace is and will always remain in my heart, and I will continue to look for results and follow the club’s progress closely.”
Crystal Palace eyeing controversial move to replace Freedman
As Freedman’s departure has now been confirmed, according to The Daily Mail, Parish and Crystal Palace are eyeing up Iain Moody to replace the 50-year-old.
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The report states that Palace are looking to re-shape their recruitment team, and Moody is likely to take up a more prominent position. Moody has been working as a managing director at Sapienza Football Consulting for the last 10 years and remains close to Parish.
Moody has worked with the Eagles before, but his time with the club was very controversial. He was the club’s sporting director for 11 months between 2013 and 2014 before he resigned under a very big cloud after it was alleged he had sent racist, homophobic, and sexist text messages to Malky Mackay, who he had worked with at Cardiff City.
Since his exit, Moody has been back at Selhurst Park to watch Crystal Palace games, and given his relationship with Parish, he could be one to watch as a replacement for Freedman.