Ranking Dougie Freedman’s best ever signings amid Man Utd interest | OneFootball

As Manchester United continue their quest to try and return to the top of English football, they've looked at different sporting directors within football to try and recruit one to Old Trafford. One name they've identified is RB Leipzig's Paul Mitchell who has a successful transfer record signing talent like Son Heung-min, Christopher Nkunku and Sadio Mane across several different clubs. Another name they've considered is Crystal Palace's Dougie Freedman.

After several years in management, coaching Palace, Bolton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest, the former player decided to take his career in a different route and rejoined the Eagles at Selhurst Park but in a completely different capacity. In his second run, he became the team's sporting director instead and it's been a pretty successful career change so far.

Throughout the last six years, Freedman has been responsible for many of the names that have come through the doors at Palace and his track record when recruiting players has been pretty impressive. He hasn't hit every one of them out of the park - looking at you Alexander Sorloth - but for the most part, he often gets it right. With the Red Devils currently interested in Freedman according to The Daily Star, we thought we'd look back at the work he's done so far the Selhurst Park, the business that's really put him on United's radar and identify the best signings he's made so far. Before we get started, we thought we'd share the bigger picture and reveal the seven most expensive signings that Freedman has made at Palace before diving into his best.

Here is our ranking of the five best Dougie Freedman signings since he became a sporting director.

5 Michael Olise

One that really has the potential to rise up these ranks over the next few years, Michael Olise was one of the brightest young footballers in the Championship when Crystal Palace signed him from Reading in the summer of 2021. Matching his release clause of just over £8m, the club got the highly sought-after winger for a fairly low price and while it took him a little time to really find his feet at Selhurst Park, he really impressed last season.

With 10 assists and two goals last campaign, he has developed into a solid first-team player, with plenty more room to grow and become a true star for the club. Olise is still just 21 years old and has so much more room to develop. The prospect of where his game will be in several years is pretty scary. It's very apparent what a difference he makes to the Eagles' lineup when he's in it, but this season he has struggled with injuries and has been limited to just three league appearances so far.

In the summer of 2023, Chelsea showed an interest in Olise, highlighting the impact he's had at Palace so far and signalling the fact that he holds great value to other teams too. Rather than become the latest player to join the Blues, though, he decided to commit his long-term future to the Eagles and sign a new contract extension that will keep him tied down to the team until 2027. If he continues to progress in the way that many expect him to, Olise will almost certainly rank higher on this list if it's revisited in several years' time, but for now, he still sneaks in at number five.

Signed in the summer of 2022 for £18m plus add-ons, Cheick Doucoure has been an instant hit at Selhurst Park, becoming a key figure for the team in the middle of the pitch and winning Palace's Player of the Year award in his very first campaign. Like Olise, the midfielder's impact and importance to the team was quickly noticed by one of the biggest clubs in England and shortly before the 23/24 season got underway, he was linked with a move to Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp worked to transform his midfield.

Doucoure wound up staying at Palace, though, and he picked up right where he left off one season earlier with some incredible performances. The Eagles have been hit with plenty of injuries lately, with key stars missing plenty of time, but the 23-year-old has been a consistent presence for them so far and his value will only continue to rise as the years go by.

He's still just 23 years old as well, ensuring Palace have a gem on their hands for the foreseeable future unless a massive bid comes in to pry him away from them.

3 Joachim Andersen

One of the biggest successes that Freedman has had during his time at Selhurst Park, is helping to build an incredibly solid defence, particularly in the middle. Signing Joachim Andersen was key to that, as the Eagles spent £15m on his services back in 2021. He was coming off the back of a loan spell at Fulham the year prior and had done enough to pique Freedman's interest.

He came in and had an immediate impact too. He's shone at the back for the club and this year is no different. Through the first 14 games of the season, only five teams have conceded fewer goals than Palace, a testament to the incredible work that has been done at the back. Andersen might not be quite as young as some of the other names on this list, but he's still just 27 years old and still has plenty of years ahead of him as a top-quality Premier League defender.

He couldn't have done it alone, though, and that's why his centre-back partner, also recruited by Freedman during his time tenure at Selhurst Park, is up next.

2 Marc Guehi

Alongside Andersen, Palace signed Marc Guehi in the summer of 2021 and the impact it had on their defence was tremendous. One year prior, the club conceded 66 goals across the Premier League campaign, but with the additions of the two centre-backs, they conceded 20 fewer goals the very next season. It's a testament to the incredible work that both men did, but Guehi in particular was a standout.

Off the back of a couple of impressive loan spells with Swansea City, the Eagles decided to buy the centre-back from Chelsea for around £18m and the deal has aged wonderfully. Over the course of his time with the team, he's likely tripled his value through his impressive form and there's no doubt whatsoever about his importance to Roy Hodgson's side.

Now an England international, there have been rumours of numerous clubs coming in with a bid for Guehi for some time now, but for the time being, he remains a Palace player and continues to be an absolutely incredible bit of business from Freedman and one of the best deals he's made since joining the club as sporting director six years ago. In fact, only one signing has been better.

While he took a little time to settle at Palace, Eberechi Eze has become an absolutely sensational bit of business for the club and looks like the perfect player to replace the legendary Wilfried Zaha following his departure in the summer. Coming in from Queens Park Rangers, he had lit up the Championship with the club and had caught the eye of many clubs, but it was Palace who landed him in August 2020 for £16m.

His first season wasn't the success he'd have hoped for, but he's since been fantastic for the Eagles, scoring and assisting plenty. Injuries have denied him from really taking over the team, but he's started the current season strongly, chalking up three-goal contributions in 10 appearances.

He transforms the Palace team whenever he plays, and it's visible for everyone to see just how influential his presence is to the squad. If he can overcome his issues by staying healthy, and become a regular fixture in the first-team again, there's no telling just how good he can be.

Looking at Freedman's track record, it's pretty clear he has a very certain type of player that he looks for in the transfer market. The sporting director clearly has an eye for youth and wants to recruit the brightest young prospects that he can get his hands on. That would benefit United tremendously and eliminate the club's terrible tendency to target the biggest names available, whether they'd actually suit the team's needs or not. Over the years, the Red Devils have spent big money bringing in players based on their star power rather than their actual ability to improve the squad.

Bringing in Freedman would transform their ethos completely. Targeting younger talent might not be what a lot of fans want, and it might mean that any success the club experiences takes a little longer than they might have wanted, but it will ultimately be a much stronger vision and lead to a much brighter future than what is currently on the cards right now. Despite being linked to Freedman, it seems the Red Devils haven't actually launched any form of bid to land him just yet, with Palace chairman Steve Parish revealing there had been no discussions about a possible deal between the two parties yet, but that doesn't mean there can't be in the future and if the Red Devils are wise, there will be.