Dougie Freedman – Director of Football for Crystal Palace – has a fantastic eye for talent.
It was the Glaswegian who almost singlehandedly constructed the promotion winning side of 2012/13 after unearthing the likes of Yannick Bolasie, Mile Jedinak and Glenn Murray while managing the team.
Since stepping into a Director of Football role at Selhurst Park in 2017, the 50-year-old has proved that was no fluke, having signed Michael Olise for £8m and Daniel Munoz for £7m amongst other bargains.
There was another £7m talent Dougie Freedman chased back in 2021 – and the Scot will surely kick himself for failing to bring him to Crystal Palace.
Dougie Freedman must regret failed Morgan Rogers pursuit
A story from the Daily Mail back in July 2021 claimed that Crystal Palace were in talks to sign Morgan Rogers from Manchester City.
It was said that the Citizens only wanted £7m for the attacking midfielder – aged just 18 at the time – with Freedman keen to pad out Patrick Vieira’s squad with top young talents.
Unfortunately, a deal never materialised despite these talks, and Rogers ended up joining Middlesbrough in July 2023 after loan spells at Bournemouth and Blackpool.
It didn’t take long for the man from Halesowen to impress on Teeside, as Aston Villa then came calling with a £15m bid in January 2024, which was accepted by Boro.
Rogers shining after unsuccessful Crystal Palace talks
Rogers scored three goals and provided one assist in 11 Premier League appearances after his move to Villa Park in January 2024 – but he has truly taken off this season.
The 22-year-old boasts one goal and two assists in six Premier League outings so far this term, while he just delivered a masterful display in the UEFA Champions League against Bayern Munich of all clubs, as the Villans secured a historic 1-0 win on Wednesday night.
As SofaScore shows, Rogers recorded five successful dribbles and impressively won seven ground duels, also winning two freekicks on a night where Vincent Kompany deployed his big names, such as Harry Kane, Joshua Kimmich, Manuel Neuer and, of course, Olise.
Never say never in football, but we firmly believe the Rogers boat has sailed for Crystal Palace, who have clearly missed out on a tremendous talent.
