Having spent eight of the last nine seasons in the top-flight, the former West Ham United centre-back knows exactly what it takes to guide his teams up the table as well as flourish in the European places, after being named in the Europa League team of the year last season, after producing a string of impressive performances – including one in the last 16 against Sevilla and his new Wolves boss, Julen Lopetegui.
On settling in at Wolves
“It was close in the summer, so I’m delighted that we’ve got it over the line finally. I can’t wait to get started and help the lads out.
“It’s been a great first week. There’s a lot of new faces, but all of the lads, the management team and the coach have all been friendly and I can’t wait to get started.
“I’ve already done my ‘tunnel’, as the lads call it, so they’ve already given me a good hiding and a good whack, so I’ve settled in well.”
On joining a talented squad
“To be fair, they’ve got everything. There’s a lot of quality in the group, in all positions, so to be part of that is really exciting. It’s a talented squad and lots of quality in the squad, and obviously a top coach now as well.
“There is a lot of experienced lads here and some players with less experience, so hopefully I can show my experience to those lads and help the lads out.
“It’s the second half of the season now, and we want to be looking up the league and enjoying our football. I think with the group we’ve got, it’s a very good group and hopefully we can keep pushing up the league.”
On scoring 52 career goals
“Of course, defending is why I’m here and to help out the defence, but it’s always nice to get a goal as well and hopefully I can get some.”
On to the next chapter. Really looking forward to getting started at @Wolves! Hopefully we can push on and finish the season on a high.
— Craig Dawson (@CraigDawson__15) January 23, 2023
See you at the Molineux! 🐺 pic.twitter.com/so7tjayGPy
On facing Lopetegui in the Europa League
“I remember it was a tough game, but one thing that stood out the most was the coach. He was stood right on the sideline and felt like another player.
“You could feel his passion, his love for the game there, and that was something he mentioned to me when I signed a few days ago. You could really feel his passion for the game and hopefully we can see that here.
“We’ve had plenty of conversations and even just training with him a few days, you can really tell he’s a top coach and I can’t wait to get down to business and keep working with him.”
On moving closer to his family
“It’s important to be happy off the pitch, and with the family close, I can fully focus on the football and enjoy it.
“The last couple of seasons have been a great journey for me and ones that I will remember well, so hopefully we can have some of those in the future as well.
“I just want to say a big thank you to everyone. So far, everyone’s so friendly and I can’t wait to get down to work.”
