Former West Ham United transfer guru Tim Steidten is reportedly leading the race to replace Dougie Freedman at Crystal Palace.
Crystal Palace are on the lookout for their next sporting director as Dougie Freedman has parted ways with the club. According to a report from Football Insider, Tim Steidten, who has been without a job since leaving West Ham United last month, is the front-runner to take over at Selhurst Park.
Dougie Freedman’s work at Crystal Palace
Dougie Freedman, who played for the Eagles as well as led them as a manager back in the day, returned to the club in the summer of 2017 to take over as their sporting director. The 50-year-old did wonders for Palace during his around-eight-year-long stint at the club.
He played a massive role in the club signing the likes of Adam Wharton, Eberechi Eze, Marc Guehi and Michael Olise. The Eagles have already cashed in on Olise, and there is already a significant amount of interest in the other three.
Under Freedman’s guidance, Crystal Palace have built a reputation for signing young talents from lower divisions and developing them into top-class players. Given his impactful work, his departure has raised concerns as Palace rush to find a replacement ahead of a crucial transfer window for Oliver Glasner’s side.
Tim Steidten to take charge at Palace?
While Crystal Palace have been linked with quite a few big names, Tim Steidten is believed to be leading the race at this stage. The 43-year-old was the technical director of West Ham United, but he ended up parting ways with the club last month. Graham Potter’s arrival at the club led to his departure as his close friend Kyle Macauley replaced him.
The German transfer guru seeks an immediate return to action, and Crystal Palace are willing to offer him the opportunity. While he did not really do much during his time at the East London club, Steidten did make quite a name for himself with his work at Bayer Leverkusen and Werder Bremen back in the day.
Tim Steidten managed to sign Jeremie Frimpong and Moussa Diaby during his time at Bayer Leverkusen, while he ended up signing Serge Gnabry from Arsenal and Kevin De Bruyne from Chelsea on loan during his time at Werder Bremen, proving his pedigree on a relatively low budget.
Glasner has already given the green light for the German transfer guru to replace Dougie Freedman. As a result, it will be interesting to see how things pan out going forward.