Wolverhampton Wanderers confirm signing of West Ham United defender Craig Dawson

Wolverhampton Wanderers have announced the signing of West Ham United defender Craig Dawson.

The West Midlands outfit have been proactive during the January transfer window, already signing the likes of Mario Lemina, Pablo Sarabia and Matheus Cunha.

However, with just three senior centre-backs on the books, it has been no secret that Julen Lopetegui has wanted to strengthen in that area of the pitch.

Although Wolves continue to be linked with Atletico Madrid's Felipe, the club have had a long-standing interest in Dawson, who was keen to move closer to his family in the Midlands in the summer.

Despite a transfer failing to materialise on September 1, Wolves have returned to sign the 32-year-old on a two-and-a-half-year deal.

A proper Lopetegui welcome.

👋 @CraigDawson__15 pic.twitter.com/JD7oyvhsd7

— Wolves (@Wolves) January 22, 2023

Commenting on the signing, sporting director Matt Hobbs told the club's official website: "In my first interview, I talked about players who know the league are important. Personalities are important. We lost a few leaders in the summer with John [Ruddy], Conor [Coady] and Romain [Saiss].

"We're bringing another leader into the group, which is always a positive, but if you look at our centre backs, they're all relatively young, not just in age, but also the number of games they've played in English league football, let alone the Premier League.

"The amount of games Craig has played, he can be a foil for those guys on and off the pitch. He's going to be a very good player for our squad and will be someone our young centre halves will learn a lot from and will help develop those players."

Dawson joins Wolves despite spending nine years contracted to their fierce rivals West Bromwich Albion, where he made 225 appearances in all competitions.

However, it is outings for West Ham which caught Wolves' eye, the Englishman making a total of 87 outings during a period where the Hammers have challenged for the Champions League and competed in Europe.

If reports are to be believed, Dawson, who had less than six months left on his contract, has moved to Wolves for a fee of £3.3m.