West Brom should target genius free agent swoop for ex-Wolves gem - it's a no-brainer
There’s a free agent signing who could help drag West Brom out of the doldrums.
West Bromwich Albion are in trouble. Just two points above the Championship drop zone after 32 matches played, the Baggies are at serious risk of being relegated to League One.
West Brom are yet to win a match under new head coach Eric Ramsay, with Ryan Mason’s successor drawing three and losing three since his arrival in mid-January. Albion have scored merely three goals under Ramsay so far – and two of those came in his opening match, a 3-2 defeat to Middlesbrough at The Hawthorns.
Unless Ramsay and his players can buck up their ideas quickly, West Brom could face the dreaded drop to the English third tier for the first time since 1991.
Eric Ramsay could sign free agent for West Brom
To help get out of the mire, West Brom could turn to the free agents market – sometimes a gold mine, albeit a tricky one to navigate. Ramsay recently admitted that it would have been handy to add some experience in the winter transfer window, so the search may remain ongoing.
"Yes, of course, I don't think any head coach would sit here and say anything different to that," Ramsay said when asked if he desired more experience.
Although the transfer deadline was over a week and a half ago now, it’s still not too late to bring in a new face as free agents are still accessible even outside of the window. It might seem like a desperate approach, but West Brom need all the help they can get in the Championship run-in.
Albion should sign ex-Wolves star
One available player Birmingham World believes West Brom should try to sign is former fan favourite Craig Dawson. The 35-year-old, a free agent since he left Wolverhampton Wanderers at the end of last season, could help the Baggies navigate their current defensive injury crisis.
Ramsay had to deploy left-back Charlie Taylor as an auxiliary centre-half against Birmingham City due to injuries for Chris Mepham, George Campbell and Krystian Bielik. That was far from ideal, and the problem could grow further if another defender picks up an injury in the near future.
The problem area might feel like the attack, given West Brom have scored so few and have actually managed to keep clean sheets in their last two matches. But having such limited depth in defence is just an accident waiting to happen, and it’s especially perilous when sitting so narrowly above the relegation zone.
Why Dawson would be a good fit for the Baggies
Dawson may be approaching the end of his career now, and he has not played a single game for about a year, but his experience could be a great addition at The Hawthorns. The veteran defender knows the club better than any other, as he racked up a career-high 225 appearances for the Baggies during his nine-year spell between 2010 and 2019.
Not only that, but Dawson was still a very capable defender in the division above when at Wolves. Yes, that was over 12 months ago now and ex-Wanderers boss Vitor Pereira ended up casting Dawson away to the reserves at the start of 2025, but the defender had been excellent prior.
You would have thought Dawson, who would be a risk-free option on a free, could at least offer something for West Brom. Even if it was just experience, leadership and depth, that would be better than nothing, surely. Dawson is also a huge aerial threat, handy in both boxes.
Would you like to see Dawson return to The Hawthorns? Let us know in the comments section.