Wolves move for £52k-a-week star 'on the cards for long time' at Molineux | OneFootball

Wolverhampton Wanderers bringing in centre-back Craig Dawson was on the cards for a 'long time' at Molineux, transfer insider Dean Jones has informed GIVEMESPORT.

The 32-year-old was one of six additions brought to the Old Gold in the January window, with Matheus Cunha, Pablo Sarabia, Joao Gomes, Daniel Bentley and Mario Lemina all joining the club, as well as Dawson.

Last month, Wolves completed the signing of Dawson from West Ham United for a fee in the region of £3.3 million, completing a return to the Midlands after spending much of his playing career in the area, as reported by Sky Sports News.

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On his first appearance for his new club, Dawson could not have dreamed of a better start as he scored and also kept a clean sheet in a 3-0 victory over Liverpool last weekend.

BBC Sport reporter Garth Crooks was full of praise for the defender and selected him in his Premier League team of the week, stating: "it was an inspired move by Wolverhampton Wanderers to get Dawson during the transfer window from West Ham."

Dawson also seemed to be chuffed with his start at the Old Gold, saying in an interview on their official club website: “It’s early days, we’ll take every game as it comes. It’s a great start, so we’ll enjoy this one, and be back to work next week, for hopefully another good week.”

Next up for Wolves is a trip to basement battlers Southampton this weekend at St Mary's Stadium.

What has Dean Jones said about Craig Dawson?

Transfer insider Jones believes that acquiring Dawson was an intelligent piece of business by Wolves in the January window.

Jones told GMS: "It's a really smart signing and one I'm really pleased for him about; it's been a long time on the cards. There had been a lot of talk around the transfer and West Ham didn't want him to go but understood that there were personal reasons he might want to go."

Will Dawson have a big impact at Wolves going forward?

Bringing plenty of Premier League experience to the table, the £52k-a-week earning Dawson (Salary Sport) looks to be like a very shrewd signing for Wolves that will offer them some immediate security within the backline.

In 2022/23 for West Ham across all competitions, the Englishman made 13 appearances notching two assists in the process, as per Transfermarkt.

WhoScored also notes that Dawson had managed to make an average of 3.3 clearances per match in the Premier League this term at the Hammers, emphasising his ability to sniff out dangerous attacking situations.

His leadership qualities will also come in handy in the dressing room and give the likes of youngster Nathan Collins some valuable wisdom from a senior professional as he continues to develop at a rapid rate.