Given all the crap that Tottenham fans have had to put up with throughout the entire Luka Modric saga, it’s none too surprising that they feel a great deal of affection for the loyal and capable Michael Dawson. There had been some ill-founded reports in the Press that Michael Dawson was unsettled at White Hart Lane and may well be looking for a move out of the club in the summer. Of course, not much credence was given to these reports, but Dawson still took some time out of his schedule to ‘rubbish’ them and put Tottenham fan’s minds to rest.
That’s something that Luka Modric needed to do a long time ago if he wanted to stay in Tottenham fan’s good books. It seems, however, that isn’t a priority for the Croatian.
As for Dawson, I can’t help but feel that this is a man with a big future. It doesn’t seem so long ago now that he was being compared to Rio Ferdinand and John Terry, but nowadays he has carved out his own niche and is very much a player in his own right. As the aforementioned players age, there’s every chance that Dawson will come to take one of their slots in the England International side.
Dawson isn’t perfect. He’s still got a lot of growing to do and I would argue requires a couple more seasons worth of experience before he reaches his peak. At the moment he’s all too often the perpetrator of unnecessary fouls and gives away the odd penalty or two. His distribution also needs some work and he’s not got much pace – even for centre-back standards.
He makes up for this, however, with excellent positional awareness and a tough, competitive attitude. My feeling is that he plays much better when he’s playing alongside Ledley King, who’s calming influence seems to bring out the best in him. With time however, I’m sure he’ll be good enough to perform week-in and week-out without the need of playing next to a ‘leader’. At the moment, he’s an extremely valuable asset for Tottenham, as evidenced by the number clean sheets the club achieved when he played last season versus how many they chocked up without him.
I’d argue that Dawson is one of the most underrated defenders in the Premier League. As he continues to mature and develop, however, I’m sure he’ll begin to receive the plaudits he so richly deserves. What’s more, given that he’s so clearly loyal to the Tottenham cause, I’d say he’s one of those rare things: a player that fans can feel genuinely proud to have as a member in their squad.
Follow @ThePerfectPass on Twitter for details on all the latest updates and various football-related musings.
ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.
To have a peak at the top SEVEN available FREE TRANSFERS this summer, click here.
Or to have a look at 10 ways a football lover can spend this summer, click here!