Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham linked with Premier League star David Moyes was ‘disappointed’ to lose

Wrexham have been connected with yet another big-name signing as Phil Parkinson looks set to improve his squad ahead of competing in the Championship next season

Wrexham have been linked with a Premier League star who David Moyes was disappointed to lose during his time at West Ham. The Red Dragons are reported to be interested in signing Wolves centre-back Craig Dawson, whose contract is due to expire at the end of June.

The defender previously held talks with Wolves to terminate his contract back in February. It followed boss Vitor Pereira’s decision to leave him out of his 25-man Premier League squad, and tentative discussions with Leicester over a potential swap deal for Conor Coady.

No agreement was reached at the time and Wrexham are now said to be looking at bringing Dawson to the Racecourse Ground after recently securing promotion to the Championship. However, the North Wales outfit, owned by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, face competition for his signature from second tier rivals Derby, according to The Sun.

The 35-year-old arrived at Wolves from West Ham for £3.3million in January 2023. Dawson’s then-manager Moyes was reluctant to let him go after he played a key part in the Hammers’ resurgence under the Scotsman.

But a deal was agreed to allow him to be closer to home, with his family based in the North-West of England. Moyes later showed there were no hard feelings by issuing a heartfelt message to Dawson ahead of a clash between Wolves and West Ham in December 2023.

“We’re looking forward to seeing Craig Dawson again,” Moyes said. “He played a huge part getting us from where we started to where we are now. He was a big part of it.

“We were disappointed when he left but we knew there were other reasons behind it. He’s a good lad and I’m sure he’s being a big help for Wolves at the moment.”

Dawson has enjoyed a remarkable rise since starting working life as a glass collector at his local pub in Rochdale at the age of 16. He began his football career with non-league club Radcliffe Borough in 2007, before moving to Rochdale two years later.

It was there that he caught the eye of West Brom, who he joined in 2010, making his Premier League debut the following year. Dawson made more than 200 appearances during his time with the Baggies, before switching to Watford in 2019 and then arrived at West Ham for an initial loan spell the following year.

Dawson has been praised for his strong work ethic by several of his former colleagues, including ex-West Brom team-mate Liam Ridgewell.

Speaking to The Athletic in February 2021, Ridgewell said: “If I had to compare him to any other player in how he conducts himself, it would be James Milner. Just quiet, dedicated and focused on the end goal. I played with Milner at Aston Villa.

“Players like that got on with it, they didn’t care about the attention or the limelight, and that was Dawson. You need players like him in the dressing room and I see a real togetherness in that West Ham team.”

Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson is known for favouring players with good character, which could explain his reported interest in Dawson. The former Bolton and Sunderland manager said he would be implementing a strict “no superstars, no egos” policy at the club following their third straight promotion.

Speaking in April, he said: “I think that a lot of tough decisions will be made this summer, in terms of who we bring in and how we add to this fantastic squad of lads we’ve got, but let’s see if we can build a squad to compete at that level.

“What we’ve always tried to do is make sure the culture in the club is right and I think that’s key – no superstars, no egos in the dressing room and we’ve got to try and get that balance right again. You always need extra quality when you go up a level to make sure the right people come into the building.”

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