When defender Craig Dawson’s contract with Wolverhampton Wanderers, a Premier League team, ends this summer, Derby County is allegedly eager to recruit him on a free transfer.
The Sun claims that Dawson is on Derby’s list of summer transfer targets and that the East Midlands team will have to contend with competition from Wrexham, an ambitious newly promoted team, for the 35-year-old.
However, as FLW exclusively reported earlier this month, head coach John Eustace is also considering a reunion with Blackburn Rovers defender Danny Batth, whom he previously worked with at Ewood Park, so Dawson is not the only center-back on the Rams’ radar this summer.
Dawson paid £3.3 million to join Wolves from West Ham United in January 2023. He was a mainstay for the majority of his first two years at Molineux, including 16 games in the first half of this season. However, he lost favor when Vitor Pereira took over as manager in December.
Dawson will be leaving the club when his contract expires this summer, with Derby and Wrexham expected to compete for his signature. In February, there were rumors that Wolves were in talks to terminate Dawson’s contract after he was left off of Pereira’s 25-man squad list. However, no agreement was reached at that time.
Before Wolves depart, Derby County is advised to explore a Craig Dawson move.
When asked about his thoughts on the possible signing of Dawson, Derby County fan pundit Shaun Woodward of FLW acknowledged that Eustace needs to reduce the team’s age this summer, but the seasoned defender might be a good addition for the Rams—but only if Nat Phillips, who is currently on loan from Liverpool, doesn’t return to Pride Park permanently.
“If I’m totally honest, I would like us to be signing players in their 20s, or at the very worst, early 30s because our squad is quite an old squad,” Shaun said to FLW.
However, I believe Craig Dawson would be a very fine addition at this level if he is available and we are unable to get Nat Phillips.
“He could definitely benefit some of the younger men in our team.
“It would be a great signing if we could get our hands on him.
“I’m beginning to believe that we can’t rely just on individuals for a single season; in the long run, we need to be bringing in some younger players for the future.
“Having said that, if we do not get Phillips and Curtis Nelson and Sondre Langas return for a time, I would be more than pleased if we did get someone like Craig Dawson because he has had a successful career and could provide a lot of experience and composure to the team.
Given Wrexham’s interest, Derby County might have to brace for Craig Dawson’s disappointment.
It would be hard to pass down a guy with Dawson’s experience, but as Shaun points out, Derby does need to add a few younger players this summer to help balance out their comparatively aging roster.
The Rams will need to strengthen their center-back options in the upcoming months as both Nelson and Langas may be sidelined by injury. Dawson would be a welcome addition, but if Eustace keeps pursuing Batth, he may lose out on the Wolves player to Wrexham.
The Red Dragons are rumored to be among the biggest spenders outside of the Premier League this summer and would probably be able to offer Dawson a more lucrative contract, so even if the Rams were to make a move for him their top priority, there is no assurance they could beat them to his signature.
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