Ferguson's crazy decision to leave the EPL and go to Saudi Arabia's second division

Mar 18, 2025

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Crystal Palace director Dougie Friedman suddenly decided to go to the second division of Saudi Arabia.

Multiple media outlets, including the British Guardian, announced on the 18th (Korea time) that Friedman had left after completing his role as sports director. Friedman is expected to join the club promoted from Saudi Arabia's third division, the report said.

It is a shocking report. In a situation where many soccer superstars, including Cristiano Ronaldo, are moving to Saudi Arabia because they cannot withstand the temptation of money sent by Saudi Arabia, coaches and club officials are also choosing to go to Saudi Arabia.

However, it is not common to go as far as the second part of Saudi Arabia. In addition, it would be even more surprising if the director, who was receiving Manchester United's attention, left the English Premier League overnight.

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Friedman also played for Palace for a long time as a player. After that, he took a path as a leader. Starting as a youth coach for Palace, he was a head coach and even a first-team coach. Friedman, who also coached Bolton and Nottingham Forest, has worked as Palace Sports Director since 2017.

Friedman is known as a close director to former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson. The reason why the two became close was that Friedman spent a lot of time in Ferguson's office when he worked as Palace manager. In 2017, he moved next to Ferguson's house and lived as a neighbor.

Director Friedman has been linked with Manchester United in 2023 because of his good performance at Palace. This is because he is one of the directors recognized in the EPL by discovering Mark Geghi, Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze, Conor Gallagher (lease), and Adam Wharton at Palace. Back in 2023, the British Telegraph reported that "Friedman is understood to be respected by FergusonFriedman is a candidate for Manchester United's next director. Ultimately, the trend did not happen.

Friedman, who was constantly making his name known as Palace director, suddenly decided to go to the second division of Saudi Arabia in the middle of the season. There has been no official announcement yet, but it is only a matter of time. The Guardian said "It's an unexpected turnover. "I'm ready to take on the job of sports director of al-Diriya, who won the Saudi third division and was promoted to the second division."

Director Friedman is known to have received attention from Saudi capital in the past. Last year, he received an offer from Newcastle United, where the Saudi sovereign wealth fund (PIF) is the owner, but he remained persuaded by Palace. This time, he seems to have failed to overcome the temptation of money.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.