Cannon may go out on loan to hone his talents
WITHIN hours of Leicester City lifting the Championship trophy, the transfer rumours began.
Preston and City’s final-day conquerors Blackburn Rovers were both attributed with loan interest in Tom Cannon.
And it is indeed going to be an intriguing summer for the 21-yearold striker.
It’s perhaps the case that his future will be the last domino to fall.
It’s clear Cannon is not only a good striker now, but one who has a very high ceiling.
It’s just that, with the quality and experience of the rest of City’s forwards, he was only given an opportunity when the others were unavailable.
In those moments, Cannon showed he’s fast, has strength, has an eye for goal and can strike a ball cleanly.
The latter characteristic was perhaps the most surprising asset to his game and one that has fans excited.
His maiden goal for the club, against Huddersfield at the start of the year, was a snap shot after a ball ran loose on the edge of the box.
But it was hit so crisply by Cannon that it flew into the net in the blink of an eye.
In that moment, City supporters boarded the hype train and called for him to get more opportunities from there to the end of the season.
By the end of January, City had Patson Daka back from the Africa Cup of Nations and Jamie Vardy was fit again.
Cannon was used sparingly, even when those ahead of him in the pecking order were struggling for form in front of goal. For the final game of the season, he didn’t even make the bench.
City must be aware they have a talent on their hands and ensuring he fulfils his potential must be the aim.
But the next step of the plan will be determined by what happens to City’s other strikers.
Kelechi Iheanacho appears to have signalled he is departing, and so, assuming Vardy signs a new contract, that leaves City with three strikers.
The next decision to make is whether a strikeforce of Vardy, Daka and Cannon is good enough for the Premier League.
If not, then City must determine how much wiggle room there is in the budget to buy a new striker.
In the event a new forward arrives, a loan for Cannon makes sense.
Maresca has said before that he cannot properly accommodate four strikers and so a season in the Championship feels like the right move for Cannon.
There, he can get a whole season of football under his belt to hone his game, meaning that he is more ready for the Premier League the following year when he may need to replace Vardy.
The idea of having a replacement for Vardy has been a topic for years at City and nobody has come close to looking like being able to fill his boots. But the early signs are good for Cannon.
But if he’s going to do it, he probably needs chances to improve his game. If City can’t buy a striker this summer and Cannon remains at the King Power Stadium as third choice, getting a game here and there, is he going to get better?
Maybe slightly. He’d be playing under Maresca and he’d be testing himself against top-level defenders.
But is that preferable to a season playing week in, week out? It’s one of the many decisions City have to make this summer.