'He is a fantastic guy' – Oliver Glasner responds to Dougie Freedman links to Man United switch from Crystal Palace
08/03/2024 19:46
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner believes Dougie Freedman’s links with Manchester United is a testament to his quality.
talkSPORT understands that United want to hire the Eagles’ sporting director as their new head of recruitment.
Freedman, a former Scotland international, has been in his role at Palace since 2017 and proved key with recent top signings.
Deals for Michael Olise and Marc Guehi were secured by the ex-striker, as well as the loan signing of Conor Gallagher in the 2021/22 season.
As a result, United have set their sights on appointing him at Old Trafford and Glasner had nothing but praise for the transfer chief.
When asked about Freedman’s links to the Theatre of Dreams, he said: "It shows me what I was thinking – here [at Palace] there is a great sporting director and a great person.
“This is how I see Dougie after two weeks and a lot of talks with him. He knows all the players all over the world. He is a fantastic guy. He is a great person and a sporting director.”
Despite the links, Glasner expects to work with Freedman at Palace for the foreseeable future, as he remarked: “If there are these rumours, it shows other clubs see it in the same way. I don't know if it's true or not.
“We didn't speak about the squad for next year – I want to get to know the players who are here.
“There are injured players I have never seen in a training session. We will start [planning the squad] in the next week.
“The feeling that I have is we will plan the squad for next year together and we will work together for a long time. But three weeks ago I wasn't here."
Freedman is seen as an ideal candidate for the new structure at United by the club’s minority owners INEOS, led by British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Amid the delays in bringing in Dan Ashworth and Omar Berrada from Newcastle and Manchester City respectively, the Premier League giants hope to fill the position quickly.
Former Palace owner and talkSPORT’s Simon Jordan previously gave his backing for Freedman given his success in south London, as he stated: “Dougie is a good thinker and a good spotter of talent, he’s also a good negotiator.
“I’ve known Dougie for 24/25 years now, I signed him back at Palace in 2000, he was very, very friendly with my late father and someone that I’m very fond of.
“I also know that he’s very capable in the position that he’s in. I think he had a good period of time when he was managing Palace and I think the team that got promoted in 2013 was ostensibly his team.
“People like Yannick Bolasie and [Mile] Jedinak were players that he recruited and Ian Holloway got the benefit of being able to take them up.
“He went to Bolton, I advised him not to go to Bolton because I thought Bolton was an unstable environment for him to go to, they just got relegated but he wanted to do that.
“He went to [Nottingham] Forest, I don’t think management was he thing for him. I think the space where he’s in now, where he can think clearly and look at things objectively and make decisions based upon player recruitment, it’s a great space for Dougie.
“I wouldn’t be surprised… It’s not my gift to portray confidences but not withstanding that, I think it’s a good fit. I think it’s a fit that could distinctly, likely happen.
“I think they’re building, people will look at it and go, ‘Crystal Palace and Man United?’ Well you could make that argument about Dan Ashworth with West Bromwich Albion, Brighton, Newcastle and now Man United.
“It’s not about your journey, it’s about what you’ll do while you’re on that journey and what you’re effective [at]
” I think a lot of the players that Palace have recruited, [Eberechi] Eze and other players like that, are players that Dougie has been putting his hat on.”
He added: “He works well in teams, he’s a very clever operator, he’s not controversial, he doesn’t get in people’s faces and you won’t hear him courting the media.”
