Race For Forward Heating Up As Sheffield United Match Promotion Rivals’ Offer | OneFootball

Leicester City have recalled striker Tom Cannon from his loan spell at Stoke City, where he enjoyed a productive stint. The 22-year-old Republic of Ireland international netted 11 goals in 25 appearances across all competitions for the Potters after joining on the final day of the summer transfer window. Now, the Foxes are prepared to facilitate a transfer amid growing interest.

SWANSEA, WALES – OCTOBER 05: Tom Cannon of Stoke City applauds the fans after the Sky Bet Championship match between Swansea City AFC and Stoke City FC at Swansea.com Stadium on October 05, 2024 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

Sheffield United and Sunderland Leading the Chase

Cannon has attracted significant attention from the top of the Championship with Sheffield United and Sunderland both tabling bids worth up to £13 million. Sheffield United’s proposal includes £10 million guaranteed, with an additional £3 million in performance-based extras, per Alan Nixon. Sunderland are reportedly offering a comparable package as they seek to bolster their attack for the second half of the season.

Adding to the intrigue, Everton and Burnley have entered the fray, eyeing a potential deal for the prolific Championship forward, per Sami Mokbel. Everton, Cannon’s boyhood club, may look to bring him back as they struggle for goals in the Premier League.

Cannon’s stats reflect a striker with immense potential. Across two Championship campaigns, he has scored 21 goals in 3,961 minutes, equivalent to 44 full 90-minute matches. While three of his nine league goals this season have come from penalties, critics point to his non-penalty expected goals (xG) per 90 being in the 43rd percentile among Championship forwards, but his shooting ability from open play, as displayed in this graphic, is one of the best in the league.

My Opinion

One of the Blades’ issues this season has been the creative side of things, and if Unitedites thought signing Cannon would improve this then you thought incorrectly.

The 22-year-old has the potential to be a really good finisher in the Premier League, “finisher”, not a creator. Cannon’s creative statistics are poor, as you can see below compared to every other Championship forward:

Stats taken from FBref.

Now am I saying Tom Cannon would be a bad signing, no. All I’m stressing is that having a good finisher does not automatically mean you will start scoring more goals. The source of United’s issues has been a lack of creativity, thus relying on world class strikes from distance from the likes of Gustavo Hamer etc. And, judging from what I’ve seen from Cannon, and the numbers available to me, he would not improve us in that aspect.