Craig Dawson’s arrival at Molineux passed largely unnoticed yet sine joining, Wolves are flying

January is often a time when clubs lose their heads but Wolves worked smart in the market and are reaping the benefits, with one deal looking particularly shrewd.

Craig Dawson’s arrival at Molineux for just £3.3million passed largely unnoticed yet since the 32-year-old joined from West Ham, Wolves have claimed victories over Liverpool and Southampton to pull five points clear of the relegation zone. 

Dawson even scored on his debut, a memorable 3-0 win over Jurgen Klopp’s side. Wolves face Bournemouth at home on Saturday and will be confident of a third straight win.

The Hammers are three points below them and many supporters are flabbergasted that Dawson was allowed to leave so easily, especially to join a rival in the fight for survival.

For perhaps the first time during the era of Fosun, the Chinese conglomerate who bought the club for £45m in 2016, Wolves pivoted away from Jorge Mendes’ powerful Gestifute agency during January. 

In the past, Gestifute have been regularly involved in Wolves transfers yet this month, the only deal they worked on was £27m flop Goncalo Guedes’ loan move to Benfica.

Because of Gestifute’s influence, it is difficult to imagine a player like Dawson joining Wolves in previous windows.

Wolves insiders insist there was no long-term plan to loosen links with Gestifute, and that the club retain a strong relationship with Mendes’ company. Yet boss Julen Lopetegui has taken a keener role in transfers than any coach during Fosun’s time, while new recruitment chief Matt Hobbs is trying to stamp his mark on the post by ensuring he is involved throughout the process.

Lopetegui knew Wolves’ predicament required experienced players. So when Hobbs showed him his list of players, the Spaniard practically jumped for joy when he saw Dawson’s name.

When he was manager of Sevilla, Lopetegui was hugely impressed by Dawson when West Ham knocked his side of the Europa League at the last-16 stage last season. He was similarly taken with Michail Antonio, who remains on Wolves’ radar.

Around that time, Dawson earned the nickname ‘Ballon d’Awson’ from some West Ham supporters. If a manager as qualified as Lopetegui, who has also led Spain and Real Madrid, can see his quality, it seems surprising that his own club were prepared to overlook it.

Three other names in Lopetegui’s notebook, midfielder Mario Lemina and forwards Matheus Cunha and Pablo Sarabia, duly arrived last month, while Hobbs drove the £16.6m capture of Brazilian midfielder Joao Gomes, who marked his first appearance since his move from Flamengo with the winner at Southampton.

Dawson is a warrior on the pitch but is said to be extremely reserved off it, as is centre-back partner Max Kilman – hardly what fans remember of Tony Adams or John Terry. Neither enjoys conducting TV interviews after games.

Yet Kilman developed quickly by playing alongside Conor Coady, who is now on loan at Everton, and will surely improve again alongside Dawson, a similarly calm presence at the heart of the back line. In the meantime, West Ham fans can only shake their heads in confusion.