Burnley had an inspiring run last season as they finished seventh and as a result, they even went on to secure a place in the Europa League. Sean Dyche’s men were solid at the back and he is looking to strengthen it further by bringing in West Bromwich Albion‘s defender Craig Dawson. The Baggies are set to lose a lot of their players as they went down to the second division after finishing bottom of the table in the Premier League.
On the other hand of the spectrum, the Clarets soared high last season and are looking to reinforce their squad as they will have more challenges to face in the upcoming season. Dawson is an experienced defender and his versatility is also a big plus point as he can play as a central defender or as a right back as well.
Burnley’s success has been built on strong defensive performances and they conceded just 39 goals in their entire campaign which is just one more than heavyweights like Chelsea and Liverpool. The real test for them will be to replicate these performances and improve further as they take on the challenge of playing in European competitions next season.
The Clarets are also after Dawson’s team-mate Jay Rodriguez and according to latest reports, they have tabled a £25million bid for the duo.
Dawson made 32 appearances in all competition last season and even managed to score twice. He is often deadly in set-piece situations in the opposition half and has scored crucial goals at the Hawthorns over the years. The 28-year-old has played for England at the u21 level but has never represented the Three Lions at the senior level. However, he has represented Great Britain at the 2012 London Olympics.
Many are of the opinion that if Dawson would have played for one of the Premier League heavyweights, he would have got a call-up to the England National squad by now as he has been a consistent performer for the Baggies in the last few years. He has been with them since 2010 and now it seems like his time is going to come to an end at the Hawthorns.
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Sean Dyche has preferred Ben Mee and James Tarkowski as the preferred centre-back pairing and it remains to be seen whether he will tinker with that in the upcoming season. It is likely that Dawson will play down the right in the right-back role, in case he is signed by the Clarets and that might reduce Matthew Lowton’s game time at Turf Moor.
