OPINION
With reports suggesting that West Brom defender Craig Dawson has been excluded from first-team training, Newcastle United must move quickly to solve their defensive conundrum.
As reported by the Mirror, Albion central defender Dawson has been excluded from first-team training for weeks, despite the club claiming that the former Rochdale man had a thigh strain.
The report claims that the 28-year-old handed in a transfer request at the start of the month, with Leicester City and Celtic linked with a move for the player.
With Dawson so keen to leave The Hawthorns after the club’s relegation from the Premier League, now is the perfect time for Rafael Benitez’s side to swoop in and secure his signature.
The former Bolton loanee is a solid, dependable and consistent player who always gives 100% on the pitch and often puts his body on the line in order to stop the opposition scoring. He’s made 180 appearances for the Baggies in his career, scoring an impressive 12 goals and providing eight assists.
Dawson, who currently earns £40,000-per-week on his current contract (Spotrac), can play at right-back or in central defence and is a massive threat from set-pieces, something that Benitez will appreciate.
As reported by Sky Sports, Aleksandar Mitrovic is close to sealing a £27million move to Fulham. These funds would allow the Magpies and, more specifically, Mike Ashley to put in a bid for the Albion defender with his future still up in the air.
With Florian Lejeune sustaining a long-term knee injury, Benitez needs to get a quality Premier League centre-back to compete with Jamaal Lascelles, Kieran Clark and new signing Fabian Schar.
If Dawson starts the season at West Brom, he might be won round by Darren Moore and end up staying at the club. But right now, he wants out, and that’s why the Toon need to move quickly in order to take advantage of this situation.
