· March 19 2025, 14:30
Newcastle United thought they had managed to poach Crystal Palace sporting director Dougie Freedman from the Eagles in the summer before the Scot opted to stay put.
Following the departure of Dan Ashworth to Manchester United, or more aptly, after locking Dan Ashworth away in his garden for a few months before joining Manchester United, Newcastle began the process of identifying his successor.
While ultimately, Newcastle were able to secure Paul Mitchell, someone they had eyed before the appointment of Ashworth, there was a time when it looked like Dougie Freedman would be the man.
The Crystal Palace man interviewed well, and there were rumours abound that Newcastle were set to offer him the job, but in the end, Freedman opted to stay at Palace.
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Paul Mitchell ultimately took the the job Dougie Freedman refused
The PIF ultimately got their man, albeit for an entirely different role
Between the Freedman saga and the protracted, ultimately fruitless negotiations for Marc Guehi, there ended up being a bit of bad blood between Newcastle and Crystal Palace in the summer, so it's quite amusing to see that Freedman has left Palace to move to Saudi Arabia.
What's more amusing is that Freedman is heading to Al-Diriyah which is a club owned by the PIF, the majority owners of Newcastle United.
It's being reported by London News Online that the role Freedman is taking up will see him shape the direction of several sports under the Al-Diriyah umbrella, so we can see why he would take the offer to leave the Premier League to try his hand at such a challenge.
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Crystal Palace are now left with a huge gap to fill
Freedman thanked Steve Parish in his message to the club after his departure.
“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."
Crystal Palace will now have to undergo the process of finding Freedman's successor.
We hear Dan Ashworth is available if that's any help.