Leicester City may have offered Stoke City the solution to a critical issue: View.
Stoke City fans will be pleased with their team’s current position in the Championship as the international break approaches.
The Potters have two wins in four games, with victory against Plymouth Argyle and Coventry City offset by defeats against West Bromwich Albion and Watford respectively.
Their 5-0 win against Middlesbrough in the EFL Cup gives them hope for a successful season in the second division.
Regardless, Steven Schumacher’s major concern is whether his team had enough firepower to regularly win matches. Although the 5-0 victory is promising, Stoke’s frequent troubles in front of goal in the Championship may make this a one-time occurrence.
This is where new signing Tom Cannon will have to step up. At 21, he may be inexperienced, but the glimpses of skill he’s showed at Leicester City and Preston North End provide hope that he may become a regular scorer for the Potters.
Stoke City’s problems up front
Since their return to the Championship in 2018-19, the Potters have failed to score goals.
Multiple top-level second-tier strikers have tried and failed, with Dwight Gayle, Benik Afobe, Tyrese Campbell, and Sam Vokes all producing low figures in contrast to their counterparts at other teams.
In actuality, the statistics present an even grimmer picture. The greatest scoring season for a player at the club was Jacob Brown’s 13 goals in 45 appearances, during the 2021-22 campaign.
Stoke City have not had a player score more than 15 league goals since Peter Thorne in 2000-01.
Stoke City’s best goal tally since returning to the Championship was 62 in the 2019-20 season, indicating a lack of contribution from the entire team.
This will make them rely on Cannon’s performance, and if he can step up, those play-off berths may become more plausible as the season progresses.
Stoke City could have the solution in Cannon.
After signing Cannon on loan for the season, Schumacher understands how important it is to make the most of the little time he has with the young striker.
Stoke City has had several strikers, including 18-year-old Lewis Koumas, who scored against West Bromwich Albion recently.
However, with Cannon given the number nine shirt, it appears that he will be Schumacher’s starting striker. Despite having only played 33 games in the second division, he has more experience than the other Liverpool choices.
His record, although not perfect, is decent, with the 21-year-old scoring 10 goals in the Championship to date (Monday, September 2).
| Tom Cannon’s Championship Stats so far (FotMob) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Appearances | Minutes | Goals | Expected Goals |
| 2022-23 | Preston North End | 20 | 1,678 | 8 | 5.06 |
| 2023-24 | Leicester City | 13 | 423 | 2 | 1.54 |
This minutes-to-goal ratio effectively means he scores every two and a half games. If he can maintain his fitness and somewhat enhance his physique, he has the potential to become a formidable force.
Furthermore, Cannon’s traditional striker build, combined with the knowledge he got from one of the Championship’s best attackers, Jamie Vardy, should have considerably improved his game.
The teenage striker should aim to score 17-18 goals this season. Achieving this might open up a world of opportunities for Stoke, who will be anxious to return to the heights of the play-offs following several seasons of mediocrity.
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