Podcasts

West Ham United: ExWHUemployee believes Craig Dawson could depart before deadline

|
Image for West Ham United: ExWHUemployee believes Craig Dawson could depart before deadline

ExWHUemployee has warned that Craig Dawson could yet leave West Ham United due to a mind-numbing personal commute to the club.

Dawson was signed for just £2m from Watford and has enjoyed a fantastic couple of years in east London, but is yet to feature this term having picked up a thigh injury in pre-season.

In 34 appearances last term, the Englishman scored twice and made 0.9 tackles, 0.9 interceptions and 4.1 clearances per game, earning an average SofaScore match rating of 6.94/10, leaving him ranked seventh among his teammates and just short of centre-back partner Kurt Zouma (6.95).

However, Ex has now shed light on the defender’s future and has failed to rule out a move away from the London Stadium.

Speaking on The West Ham Way podcast, he said:

Would you be sad to see Craig Dawson leave this summer?

Yes

Yes

No

No

“There’s been some talk of Craig Dawson going to Aston Villa.

“Now, I’m not entirely sure if that deal is on, but what I will say is at the start of the window, I panicked fans a little bit by saying that he might want to move up north. I think this has kind of been on his mind throughout the window.

“He lives in Manchester and he commutes to Rush Green every single day. That’s an almighty journey, really – that’s like four hours each way, every day he does that drive which obviously affects you mentally but also affects your time that you’d be spending with family and obviously he’s got young kids and stuff.

“His contract is up at the end of the season. He’ll be 33 at the end of the season. Now, if a club that’s further north than us makes an offer for him – which I believe a couple of clubs are considering doing – then Dawson could move this window. I’d say it’s not definite that he’s going to go, because at the moment, I don’t know if any sort of clubs have put in an official bid for him.

“Villa seems to have some interest, as do a couple of other northern teams. If they put in an official bid for him that’s acceptable by our standards, then I think it could be considered, because I think Dawson has made it clear that he is struggling a bit now with the commute. I mean, obviously he had it at Watford prior to coming into us and now he’s got it still.

“When he was at West Brom, [it] probably wasn’t as bad because obviously West Brom is in the Midlands, but coming to us, I think he’s considering a move away, which should be interesting to see whether that actually happens.”

TIF Thoughts on Ex’s comments…

1 of 15

West Ham United fans, who were these players sold to? Starting with Felipe Anderson

Pictures emerged of a banner reading “Ballon d’Orson” last season as the stalwart helped the Irons to their first major European semi-final in 46 years and he became a growing hit with the fans.

However, the arrivals of Nayef Aguerd and Thilo Kehrer this summer could see his playing time falter, and considering he has only a year left on his contract, it does seem like an opportune time for the club to sell the 32-year-old.

His unenviable commute could certainly have a major influence on his decision, but it remains to be seen whether he becomes the subject of a concrete offer before Thursday’s deadline.

Share this article