Aston Villa eye Craig Dawson to fix defensive crisis, but West Ham’s David Moyes wants him to stay

Aston Villa have made a move for West Ham’s Craig Dawson, but Hammers manager David Moyes doesn’t want to lose the 32-year-old defender.

West Ham won the battle of the Premier League’s claret and blue sides 1-0 on Sunday afternoon, and Villa’s Steven Gerrard is looking for defensive reinforcements to sure up his side.

However, Dawson was named part of UEFA’s Europa League Team of the Season earlier this year for his sterling work during West Ham’s run to the tournament’s semi-final stage. 

Aston Villa feel that they can offer Dawson more first-team football, with the 32-year-old’s opportunities limited at the London Stadium due to competition for defensive slots. 

Moyes does not wish to lose Dawson, especially with the Hammers experiencing a shortage of defensive options, losing new signing Nayef Aguerd in pre-season with an ankle injury that required surgery.

Dawson joined West Ham in October 2020, initially on loan, before making the permanent switch from Watford the following summer. 

David Moyes does not want Dawson to leave West Ham despite interest from Aston Villa 

Dawson has one year remaining on his contract at the London Stadium, which may be important, because selling him now means picking up a transfer fee for him, instead of potentially losing the defender on a free in 2023. 

Aston Villa themselves have lost Diego Carlos to injury, and with only one win in their opening four matches, Gerrard is keen to try and turn around fortunes at Villa Park. 

And with Dawson reported to be unhappy with the way life is going at West Ham, it might be that the defender could fit Aston Villa perfectly as they endeavour to fix their problems at the back before too much more of the season slips away.