Alex McLeish has labelled the reported £2 million fee that West Ham United are set to pay Watford for defender Craig Dawson as "some deal" and insisted that joint-chairman David Sullivan will be "really happy".
Dawson joined the Hammers on loan after Watford's relegation from the Premier League last summer and has impressed in his debut season at the London Stadium.
Earlier this week, The Athletic revealed fresh details of the agreement between the two clubs – reporting that the 30-year-old was three Premier League starts away from triggering a permanent move to West Ham.
It is understood that the east London club will have to pay just £2 million to complete the deal, having paid the Hornets a £1 million loan fee in the summer, while there are further add-ons linked to what David Moyes' side achieve this season.
Speaking to Football Insider, McLeish talked up the deal from the Hammers' perspective.
He said: "That is some deal.
“Amazing when you think of the £12million and £15million players. We actually say when a player comes for £12million now he must be hopeless.
“To get Craig Dawson for £2million, he’ll be really happy with that, David Sullivan.
“David’s been brilliant with the deals over the years, the two Davids (Gold) and not forgetting Karren (Brady) of course.”
The central defender has featured 15 times for West Ham this term and is an experienced top-flight performer, with 194 Premier League caps to his name.
If the deal is completed, Dawson could well be facing his former teammates next term as Watford are in the automatic promotion spots as things stand.
The Verdict
It's hard to argue with McLeish here, this does look like an excellent bit of business from West Ham's perspective.
Dawson has been a really useful addition to the squad and will be a reliable player for Moyes to have available moving forward.
Given some of the transfer fees we see these days, £2 million for the 30-year-old seems like a proper bargain.
Watford supporters may feel a little disappointed that the club are letting him go so cheaply.