Former Molineux midfielder Dave Edwards believes Craig Dawson has been an incredible signing for the club and has transformed the defence.
Edwards mentioned the centre-back in his latest column for the Express & Star.
Dawson arrived at Wolves in January, with Wanderers paying around £3 million to sign him from West Ham United. He’d been a player on their radar since the summer of 2022.
There was a desire to sign him ahead of the 2022/23 season, but West Ham didn’t sell because they couldn’t land a replacement.
Wolves got their man in the end though and Dawson has quickly become a real favourite at Molineux for his solid defending.
He had a major impact after his arrival, as did midfielder Mario Lemina. Potentially, without those two players, Wolves could have been in a world of trouble.
Dave Edwards lauds Craig Dawson and believes he’s transformed the Wolves defence
Edwards has heaped praise on Dawson in his latest column for the Express & Star.
Dawson put in another colossal display for Wolves on Saturday in the 2-2 draw with Newcastle United. Wanderers may have conceded two goals, but one was a penalty that shouldn’t have been given, and the other was poor goalkeeping from Jose Sa.
Dawson was a rock, and that came as no surprise to Edwards, who believes the 33-year-old has had a major impact at the back for Wolves
He said: “Craig Dawson has been absolutely incredible since he came to the football club. In the last 10 months he really has transformed the Wolves defence alongside Max Kilman.
“I know Callum Wilson scored two goals – the first a mistake, and the second was not a penalty – but other than that he hardly had a kick because of how Dawson played.”
What a signing Dawson has been
The reaction from a lot of West Ham fans when Dawson was sold is more and more understandable with each game he plays for Wolves. Most of them didn’t want him to go and it’s been clear to see why that was.
Dawson may not be particularly quick. And there are many better ball-players than him in the Premier League (although he is certainly not bad at this by any means).
But the Englishman is just a pure defender, whose experience and leadership has helped Wolves enormously. To think he cost just over £3 million is amazing for what he has brought.
The backline needed an authoritative presence and Dawson is just that.
You can clearly see the impact he has had on the likes of Nelson Semedo and Max Kilman. Kilman even said earlier this year when Dawson made his Wolves debut against Liverpool that he had helped guide him through that game.
Wolves fans will hope he continues to shine and that his decline doesn’t start for a while yet.