West Ham United Hero Craig Dawson to Join Wolves

West Ham United defender Craig Dawson is set to leave the club to join Wolverhampton Wanderers this deadline day.

According to the Sun:

"Craig Dawson is expected to leave the club today. Senior insiders are saying it is increasingly likely he will depart before tonight’s 11pm deadline.There has been no official confirmation of which club, but Wolves are leading the race.Time is running out in this summer’s transfer window so the deal will need to be done soon though."

Why is he leaving West Ham?

Dawson who is based in Manchester wants to join a club where it will be less of a commute for him. He has spent most of his career at West Bromwich Albion and is expected to return to the Midlands with Wolves. Although, Aston Villa have also been linked with him.

He has not played yet this season because of injury. West Ham has also boosted their defensive options by signing the likes of Nayef Aguerd, who is also injured and recently Thilo Kehrer from Paris Saint-Germain.

For family reasons as well as playing regularly the West Ham favourite must feel that it is time for him to move on.

Wolves need a defensive replacement after letting Conor Coady leave for Everton, whilst Aston Villa are struggling and need all the help they can get. Dawson who has enjoyed two great seasons at the Hammers will boost Wolves or Villa.

How did Dawson become a West Ham Cult Hero?

Dawson joined West Ham on loan from Watford in October 2020 and it was quite a subdued signing. He did not make his debut until December when impressed and was given the Man of the Match award in a draw with Southampton. He then scored his first goal for the club in an FA Cup win over Stockport County.

Scoring goals became a regular occurrence for Dawson, who in total has 8 goals in 74 games, which is not bad for a centre-back. He even scored against Lyon in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

His form earned him a permanent move to the Hammers in 2021. He helped the club get to the semi-finals of the Europa League and was named in the Team of the Tournament. West Ham also finished 7th that season, qualifying for the Europa Conference League.

David Moyes’ side will need a big squad this term as they will be competing in Europe again. It will be a blow to the club to lose him, especially as Dawson was such a key part of their impressive run in the Europa League last runout.

It is a shame a player who has become such a favourite despite being at the club a relatively short time will not get a chance to say a proper goodbye to the fans who adore him.

The player was nicknamed ‘Ballon Dawson’ by the supporters as a play on words with the Ballon d’Or. West Ham fans will be sad to see him go but Dawson will be remembered fondly in East London.