35-year-old free agent snubbed Birmingham City - Blues offered him £1m a year deal | OneFootball

Birmingham City have been turned down by the 35-year-old

Experienced centre-back Craig Dawson turned down a mammoth offer this summer to join ambitious Championship outfit Birmingham City.

Blues have started the 2025/26 campaign in mixed form, after a summer full of enthusiasm and ambition.

Early wins against Blackburn Rovers and Oxford United have been cancelled out by recent defeats versus Leicester City and Stoke City.

This leaves Chris Davies’ side on seven points after five matches, sitting 11th in the Championship standings.

Craig Dawson rejected huge Birmingham City contract approach

One of the primary stories of the recent transfer window was Birmingham’s recruitment.

After a record-breaking, promotion-winning League One campaign, Chris Davies and co made a number of high-profile signings this summer, including Kyogo Furuhashi, Demarai Gray and Tommy Doyle.

But Dawson was one operator they couldn’t convince to make the move to St. Andrew’s.

According to journalist Alan Nixon via his Patreon channel, the 35-year-old rejected Birmingham’s £1 million per year contract offer, which reportedly caught the club by surprise.

Nixon states that Blackburn Rovers and Wrexham have also handed the defender proposals, but that Dawson wants to make sure that his final move ticks all the boxes.

The centre-back is a free agent after leaving Wolverhampton Wanderers following the expiration of his contract this summer. He made 15 Premier League appearances for the Molineux outfit last term, after running out 25 times in the top-flight the year prior.

Dawson last played Championship football in the 2018/19 campaign with West Bromwich Albion, a season which saw the Baggies finish fourth in the table before suffering defeat against Aston Villa in the play-off semi-finals.

Craig Dawson would’ve added Premier League experience to Birmingham City’s backline

Birmingham City recruited extensively during the transfer window and have talented operators who should be able to win them plenty of football matches this season.

However, there is an element of experience missing from their ranks, especially from those who have played at the highest level.

Dawson would’ve added immediate quality to Davies’ backline, but perhaps more importantly, could have been an important figure in the dressing room.

He knows what it takes to perform consistently in the Premier League and can help bring out the attributes that are needed within the group to make sure they fight for promotion.

These skills clearly appealed to Birmingham, which is why they made such a massive offer to acquire Dawson’s services. Clearly, money isn’t a determining factor in where the defender decides to enjoy the twilight of his career, which has seen Blues miss out on his signature.

Time will tell where the 35-year-old plies his trade next, but his presence would’ve been a massive boost to Birmingham City this season.