Crystal Palace are believed to be considering an approach for Middlesbrough's Kieran Scott after the shock departure of Sporting Director Dougie Freedman.
Scott has been Boro’s head of football since September 2021 and has overseen a transformation as far as the club’s recruitment and general direction is concerned. Brought in after a tough period as they emerged from the pandemic, his recruitment work has helped Boro improve the financial position, as well as improving their fortunes on the pitch.
Scott, who joined Boro from Norwich City, is understood to have attracted interest from numerous Premier League clubs. As far as Palace are concerned, they’ve operated a similar model to Boro since Freedman’s return to Selhurst Park in 2017. He’s been credited with notable recruitment successes such as Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise, Marc Guehi, Cheick Doucoure and Adam Wharton.
A statement from Palace on Tuesday confirmed that Freedman was leaving the club to take up a role overseas. Though not confirmed as yet, it is believed to be a multi-million one with Saudi second-tier side Al-Diriyah.
For the time being, Palace chairman Steve Parish is understood to be working closer with Iain Moody who has held a consultancy role at the club for a number of years. With a background in journalism though, his strengths are said to be in negotiating deals rather than identifying talent.
Longer term, Parish is likely to seek a similar kind of talent identification specialist like Scott, with Sky Sports also naming Lee Dykes, technical director at Brentford, as a potential candidate. The Athletic mentioned former Newcastle United and Manchester United director Dan Ashworth as well as departing Everton sporting director Kevin Thelwell as other potential candidates.
Interest in Scott comes at a time that Palace are also interested in Hayden Hackney, Rav van den Berg and Ben Doak. That no doubt strengthens their belief in Scott’s talent identification abilities. Morgan Rogers’ current success at Aston Villa and Boro’s club-record sale of Emmanuel Latte Lath last month further highlight Scott and his recruitment team’s work in identifying talent.
While there isn’t believed to have been any official contact at this stage, if Scott were to leave it would be a huge blow to Boro. Since his arrival he has completely transformed Boro’s recruitment team after bringing Chris Jones in. Jones, who was a scout at Palace before moving to Boro, joined initially as head of scouting before being promoted to head of recruitment.
The pair oversaw an overhaul in Boro’s scouting network and have reaped the rewards. If Scott were to leave, there’s a good chance Jones would join Scott, leaving Boro needing to find adequate replacements for two key figures behind the scenes.