We Are Palace have now received information on how Matt Hobbs plans to go about his business as Director of Football at Crystal Palace.
The Englishman – who left Wolves in June – has been handed the tough task of replacing Dougie Freedman at Selhurst Park, after the Glaswegian departed for Saudi Arabia in March.
Ever since Steve Parish appointed him in the role back in August 2017, Freedman helped turn the Eagles into a genuine force, placing a focus on hoovering up the best talent in the Championship such as Eberechi Eze, Adam Wharton and Michael Olise.
Many Crystal Palace fans have therefore wondered if Hobbs will stick to that policy or bring a new strategy to SE25 – and Graeme Bailey has now shared some insight with We Are Palace.
Exclusive: Matt Hobbs intends to stick close to existing Crystal Palace plan
Sources close to the situation inform We Are Palace that the 45-year-old does not view the transfer strategy at Selhurst Park to be broken whatsoever, and intends to simply add his expertise rather than rip up the playbook entirely.
Bailey said: “I am told it is evolution and not revolution. The system isn’t broken – Hobbs is just going to add to it and bring his own knowledge to it. Few teams have recruited better than Palace in recent years and he is aware of that.”
Hobbs particularly stood out at Wolves when it came to recruiting from Brazil, signing the likes of Andre, Joao Gomes and Matheus Cunha – now a £63m Manchester United star – while at Molineux.
We understand the new Director of Football at Crystal Palace intends to keep an eye on the Championship like Freedman did, but sources stress he is “very good” at exploiting the foreign market too.
We Are Palace understand Hobbs is currently working on a new deal for Oliver Glasner and hopes to find an agreement with the Austrian before January.
What Wolves expert had to say about Matt Hobbs
It is entirely possible that Hobbs would have a stronger reputation across the Premier League had Jorge Mendes not been so involved at Molineux.
Wolves expert Luke Randall spoke highly about Hobbs when asked by We Are Palace to provide some insight after Parish made the decision, saying: “The one thing that sticks is his honesty.
“He’s open with fans and will tell you exactly how it is. I think one problem he had at Wolves was that Jorge Mendes is always lingering around, and he sometimes couldn’t place his full influence on transfers as a result.”
Wolves boss Vitor Pereira also opted to bring his own Sporting Director – Domenico Teti – to the Midlands, which is rare to see in an age where that call usually rests with those in the boardroom.
Therefore, it could prove to be a wise decision from Parish to quickly snap Hobbs up.
