
West Ham United
Premier League • England
Experienced centre-back ‘desperate’ to leave West Ham amid growing Wolves interest

A reliable Twitter transfer journalist has claimed West Ham centre-back Craig Dawson is ‘desperate’ to leave the club this winter, amid growing interest from relegation rivals Wolves.
It is believed that family issues are at the centre of this decision, as he wants to move back up north, but the English defender has also been struggling for regular minutes at the London Stadium this season.
The Rochdale-born centre-back originally arrived on loan from Watford in 2020, but his deal was made permanent the following season after putting in consistently solid displays at the back.
Overall, the 32-year-old has made 87 appearances for the Hammers, playing a key role in their last two campaigns which saw them finish in an impressive seventh and sixth place.
As previously reported by TEAMtalk, Dawson was close to joining Wolves last summer, but according to EXWHUEmployee, who is known for his accurate Hammers transfer claims, the player is now personally pushing for the deal to happen this month.
Speaking on The West Ham Way’s Patreon page, he said: “West Ham are currently considering a number of centre-back options to try and resolve the Craig Dawson situation.
“Dawson is said to be desperate to move back up north because of family issues and is insistent that the club accept an offer from Wolves.
“Wolves really are not the ideal club for West Ham to sell to due to their league position near us. David Moyes also does not want to sell without a good replacement lined up.”
Selling Dawson to Wolves could be a risky move for West Ham
At the start of the current campaign, it seemed that Dawson had fallen behind the likes of Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna in the pecking order, with Moyes being reluctant to start the Englishman.
However, Dawson has since started West Ham’s last six matches, suggesting he could become an important player once again. But the question is: can they really afford to lose him, if they can’t find a suitable replacement?
The other clear problem with selling the defender to Wolves is that they, along with West Ham, are currently battling relegation.
Julen Lopetegui’s side currently find themselves in 19th place in the table after winning just three of their opening 18 games, while the Hammers are only one point better off than them.
For Wolves, while Dawson may not be a long-term addition given his age, he could provide the defensive stability required to stave off a relegation threat, possibly at the expense of West Ham.
Transfermarkt value the centre-back at just £2.5million, but due to the aforementioned issues, they may have to pay over the odds to convince Moyes to sell his veteran defender.
Saying that, this may be the Hammers’ last chance to recoup any transfer funds for Dawson, given he is keen to leave and his contract is due to expire at the end of the season, so they may opt to sell him while they have the chance.
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