A host of Championship clubs are reportedly lining up to secure the signature of Leicester City striker Tom Cannon.
Sheffield United, West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City are all rumoured to be interested in signing the 21-year-old striker on loan ahead of the 2024-25 season after finding himself down the pecking order at the Premier League club.
Leicester City striker’s career is yet to set alight.
Despite bursting onto the scene at a young age, Cannon’s career has taken a step back after his recent move to Leicester. The striker came through the Everton youth academy after signing for the Toffees at the age of ten.
Cannon represented Everton through various youth levels and made 105 appearances from the under-18s to the academy side, scoring 56 goals. The striker has made three appearances for the first team since his first senior appearance in 2022.
The Evertonian was sent out on loan in the second half of the 2022-23 season to Championship side Preston North End and had an eye-catching impact. Cannon made 21 appearances for the Lilywhites and scored eight goals, which caught the eye of some sides.
Leicester City secured the signature of Cannon in 2023 on a five-year deal, and the striker went on to make 16 appearances for the Foxes, scoring three goals to help the side to the Championship title and promotion back to the Premier League. The striker made his debut for the Republic of Ireland national side against Portugal in June.
Which clubs are after Leicester City’s Cannon?
As reported, should Leicester City give the green light for Cannon’s departure, he will be involved in a threeway tussle for his signature. Sheffield United, West Brom and Stoke City are all linked with a move for the Republic of Ireland international.
Blades manager Chris Wilder is said to see Cannon as a replacement for the departed Oli McBurnie but faces competition from the Baggies and the Potters. The move will likely depend on many requirements.
Cannon is likely to want to be the primary striker and play regularly, which may be difficult for Sheffield United to promise after the signing of Kieffer Moore earlier in the window. Leicester are likely to require the competing sides to pay a large chunk of Cannon’s wages, which may ultimately be a deciding factor as to where the striker ends up.
How good could the Leicester City forward be for a Championship side?
Cannon had high praise from former manager Ryan Lowe when he joined Preston in 2023:
“He’s a young lad with great energy, great ability, he works his socks off for the team and more importantly he’s a goalscorer”.
The striker’s statistics from his time at Preston show how much of a goal threat and clinical finisher Cannon is. The 21-year-old scored eight from a total expected goals (xG) of 5.06, showing he could find the back of the net from difficult positions.
The former Evertonian created an average of 2.41 shots per 90 minutes at an accuracy of 73%. Cannon had similar numbers for Leicester last season despite being the club’s fourth-choice striker. He outscored his xG once again with two goals from 1.54 xG and took an average of 3.4 shots per 90 minutes with an accuracy of 69%.
Despite these numbers, he is solely a goalscorer. He is unlikely to create chances for others or beat opponents one-on-one. He showcased those abilities last season with 0.85 chances created per 90 minutes and a 20% dribble success rate.
Chance creation and taking on defenders is not what Cannon will be brought to the Championship to do. The three clubs are chasing his signature to score goals and finish chances created by others.
The 21-year-old has experience being a member of a title and promotion-winning side and will likely have developed his game, having worked with the likes of Jamie Vardy since signing for Leicester. A loan move to a Championship side might be the best thing for both Leicester and Cannon, allowing him to have a full season under his belt as the first-choice striker and develop his game even further.
