Everton striker Tom Cannon is attracting significant interest ahead of the upcoming transfer window, according to reliable journalist Alan Nixon.
Who is Tom Cannon?
Cannon is an academy product at Goodison Park having worked his way up through the various youth ranks to become a regular feature of the U21s, as per Transfermarkt, but having only ever made three senior appearances, including zero under Sean Dyche, was sent out on loan to Preston North End in January to receive more regular game time.
During his short spell at Deepdale, the 20-year-old was Ryan Lowe’s second best-performing offensive player and third overall with a WhoScored match rating of 6.87, and this form on the road has seen him catch the eye of a trio of potential suitors in the Championship.
According to Nixon (via Football League World), Blackburn Rovers are “keen” on completing a permanent deal for Cannon ahead of the 2023/24 term. The Toffees starlet is “already being tracked” by Swansea City and Preston who are interested in signing him for good, with the latter seriously “weighing up” an approach.
The Merseyside outfit, however, are expected to “retain” his services if they get relegated, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Neal Maupay set to “part ways” with the club which would mean he’ll move “up the pecking order”.
Should Everton keep or sell Cannon?
If Everton are to drop down to the Championship, Farhad Moshiri will need to splash the cash on some fresh faces in a bid to get his side back up to the Premier League at the first time of asking, but homegrown talent is so important to have and Cannon 100% deserves to be given the opportunity to showcase what he’s capable of.
The Irish striker, who currently earns £410-per-week, has posted a mightily impressive 74 goal contributions (59 goals and 15 assists) in 121 appearances throughout his career which has seen him hailed a “threat” in the final third by journalist Josh Bunting.
At Preston, the Aintree-born talent recorded a total of 45 shots which was the second-highest out of the whole squad, as per FBRef, not to mention that he was also averaging 1.7 aerial wins and 1.2 dribbles per second-tier game, via WhoScored, highlighting his desire to gain possession and get past his marker.
Finally, Cannon has the versatility to play out wide on the left wing alongside his natural centre-forward role so Dyche would still be able to utilise him should he prefer to have someone more experienced leading the line, making this a no-brainer of a decision for the boss to involve him in his first-team plans more moving forward.
