Craig Dawson: Julen Lopetegui energy is Wolves' 12th man

The 32-year-old is yet to experience a match playing under the Spaniard, as he waits to make his debut following a £3.3million switch from West Ham.

But he has experienced being on the opposite side after the Hammers faced Lopetegui and Sevilla in the last-16 of last season’s Europa League. The head coach’s passion on the sideline is something which stuck with him.

“I remember it was a tough game, but one thing that stood out the most was the coach,” Dawson told the Wolves' official website. “He was stood right on the sideline and felt like another player.

“You could feel his passion, his love for the game there, and that was something he mentioned to me when I signed a few days ago. You could really feel his passion for the game and hopefully we can see that here.

“We’ve had plenty of conversations and even just training with him a few days, you can really tell he’s a top coach and I can’t wait to get down to business and keep working with him.”

Dawson has been signed to add experience to a Wolves defence which has conceded 30 goals in 20 Premier League matches following the summer exits of Conor Coady, Romain Saiss and Willy Boly.

The former Albion man, who spent nearly nine years at The Hawthorns after joining from Rochdale in 2021, came close to signing for Wolves during the final days of the previous window, only for the Hammers to block the move late on.

One of five January arrivals at Molineux so far, he is in contention to make his debut when Wolves, who sit outside the relegation zone on goal difference, resume their season at home to Liverpool next Saturday.

“It was close in the summer, so I’m delighted that we’ve got it over the line finally,” said Dawson, whose family are still based in the West Midlands. “I can’t wait to get started and help the lads out.

“It’s been a great first week. There’s a lot of new faces, but all of the lads, the management team and the coach have all been friendly and I can’t wait to get started.

“To be fair, they’ve got everything. There’s a lot of quality in the group, in all positions, so to be part of that is really exciting. It’s a talented squad and lots of quality in the squad, and obviously a top coach now as well.

“There is a lot of experienced lads here and some players with less experience, so hopefully I can show my experience to those lads and help the lads out.

“It’s the second half of the season now, and we want to be looking up the league and enjoying our football.

"I think with the group we’ve got, it’s a very good group and hopefully we can keep pushing up the league. I just can't wait to get started."