Tottenham identify Dougie Freedman as top sporting director target
Tottenham Hotspur have identified former Crystal Palace chief Dougie Freedman as a leading candidate to replace Fabio Paratici as sporting director.
The north London club are accelerating their recruitment process following Paratici’s departure to Fiorentina last month.
Spurs currently sit 16th in the Premier League and are eager to restructure their hierarchy to address their alarming slide towards the relegation zone.
Club officials have reportedly made checks on the 51-year-old Scot, who is currently working with Saudi second-tier side Al-Diriyah.
Recruitment plans and timeline
Tottenham are keen to finalize an appointment quickly to ensure the new director has significant input on the club’s next managerial hire.
Johan Lange remains the sole senior figure in the recruitment department, leaving the hierarchy stretched during a critical period.
Chelsea’s Paul Winstanley has also been discussed as a potential option by the board.
However, the Blues director is under contract at Stamford Bridge until 2031, making a move across London highly unlikely.
Freedman’s track record
The former Nottingham Forest manager built an impressive reputation for talent identification during an eight-year tenure at Selhurst Park.
He was instrumental in the acquisition of high-value assets including Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze, and Marc Guehi.
Those recruitment successes generated significant profit for the Eagles, with Eze and Olise eventually commanding combined transfer fees exceeding £110m.
Freedman also played a pivotal role in the appointment of Oliver Glasner, who guided Palace to historic FA Cup glory last year.
It remains unclear if the recruitment specialist would be willing to leave his current project in the Middle East to return to the Premier League.
