Wolves parted ways with club captain Max Kilman in the summer, seeing the defender join West Ham United.
Julen Lopetegui shared his admiration for Kilman when he captured the centre-back for £40m during the transfer window.
The Spaniard enjoyed working with the Englishman at Molineux during his time as manager, making it clear why he wanted to reconnect with the 27-year-old in the capital.
Having played every minute of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign under Gary O’Neil, there was a sense that Wolves would dearly miss their skipper however, that’s not quite the case.
Wolves defender Craig Dawson is showing up Max Kilman
An outsider’s point of view would tell you that Wolves are missing Kilman, as the Old Gold sit 19th in the table having conceded the most goals in the league so far.
However, the feeling at Molineux is quite the opposite and it’s all thanks to one saviour in O’Neil’s squad.
At Wolves, Kilman was saved multiple times by Craig Dawson and despite the defender leaving the West Midlands nearly four months ago, the 34-year-old is still showing his former partner how it’s done.
That’s the opinion of journalist Nathan Judah, who spoke highly of Dawson when talking all things Wolves on the E&S Podcast.
“He is just a tower of strength. Obviously he completely marked Haaland out in the game against Manchester City,” Judah said before forming a comparison to Kilman.
“That was magnificent, you look at him and then you look at someone like Max Kilman, let’s be honest. Kilman’s marked Haaland in the past and it’s ‘How many goals do you want to score today?’.
“It just shows the quality and his age that he can read the game so, so well. He is massive, whether it’s a four, whether it’s a five, Dawson is just so important to this team.”
Whether it be against Manchester City in a back five or a back four against Nottingham Forest, Dawson is a constant standout in the current squad, displaying levels that Kilman arguably never reached at Molineux.
Kilman enjoying working with Lopetegui
It’s been a trialling start to the season at West Ham, with some questions already asked about Lopetegui’s suitability for the role.
The Spaniard is somewhat of a villain in the West Midlands for the manner in which he left his squad, departing just days before the start of the 2023/24 campaign.
The Hammers’ slow start hasn’t changed Kilman’s opinion on the former Wolves boss however, as he expressed his delight to be working with the ex-Real Madrid manager again, via West Ham’s official website.
“It’s great to work with him [Lopetegui] again, him and his team. He is obviously very passionate.
“He wants to bring the best out of all his players. So we just need to keep working and everyone needs to keep getting their head down and keep improving.”