Wolves completed the signing of Craig Dawson at the weekend, and he could seriously raise standards at Molineux.
Julen Lopetegui finally has a new centre-back, and it’s the player the club tried to sign last summer.
Wanderers attempted to get Dawson from West Ham United on deadline day.
But the Hammers pulled the plug after failing to sign Jan Bednarek.
Wolves kept Dawson on their radar, and the player kept Wolves on his.
Wolves have finally got their man, paying West Ham around £3.3 million which is a real bargain.
The Athletic have today produced a feature on Dawson. It provides a bit of insight into his journey in football so far, and the qualities he has.
At the age of 32, it’s clear that Dawson has a lot of experience under his belt.
But he really does seem the kind of individual who is going to raise the standards at Molineux given his character and personality.
The Athletic write: “Dawson’s attention to detail in his preparation – from pilates and massage to gym work and meticulous recovery – was legendary at West Brom.
“He earned private plaudits from teammates for the way he approached the challenge of playing at right-back under Tony Pulis.”
It is later mentioned that Dawson is ‘more likely to lead by example than via rousing dressing room speeches’.
Craig Dawson is an inspired signing by Wolves, he’ll bring more than just defensive solidity
We know that Dawson is a really good player.
His two years at West Ham were very impressive. You only need to see how many Hammers fans have reacted to his exit to determine that Wolves had done great business.
Dawson won’t just bring good defending for Wolves.
He is clearly a top professional. Former Molineux captain Sam Ricketts said at the weekend that Dawson could bring something of a ‘Conor Coady effect’ for Wolves.
That his attention to detail in his preparation was ‘legendary’ at West Brom is very encouraging.
Potentially, his professionalism will help to raise the general standards at Compton. That is going to be very important as the squad prepare to embark on a Premier League safety mission.