Sheffield Wednesday join Preston North End, Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers in Everton striker chase
The Owls were linked with Tom Cannon back in the January transfer window, and they’re once again in the mix for his signature
Everton striker Tom Cannon is set to be one of the most hotly-pursued players in the Championship this summer thanks to his exploits with Preston North End in the second half of last season.
After three appearances for the Toffees’ first-team last season, Cannon was sent to Deepdale for the second half of the 2022-23 campaign on loan, where after a slow start he netted eight times in 20 league appearances.
There has been much anticipation though on what Everton and Sean Dyche decide to do regarding the youngster this summer, with a queue of clubs lining up to sign Cannon – he appeared in a pre-season friendly in Switzerland for the Merseyside club over a week ago but missed their latest fixtures with a hamstring issue.
What is the transfer latest on Tom Cannon?
Preston North End of course are in the race to land Cannon again and he remains their number-one target for the summer despite already signing Will Keane and Layton Stewart as attacking options.
Sunderland however have been plotting to rival the Lilywhites and they want to take Cannon off the Toffees’ hands on a permanent basis, with the Black Cats said to be readying a £3 million plus add-ons offer for the 20-year-old, per Alan Nixon.
Blackburn Rovers have also been linked with Cannon, but it looks as though Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side cannot sign anyone – whether that be on loan or permanently – until they sell a player.
According to reports in the North East from The Northern Echo, Cannon is poised to re-join PNE on a season-long loan after being in attendance for their match against Aberdeen on Saturday, despite Everton having two matches that afternoon that he did not go to watch.
An agreed deal may not be as clear-cut as that for North End though despite his appearance at Deepdale at the weekend, with Nixon suggesting that Everotn have not yet decided on his future still – and another club are set to enter the running for his signature.
Sheffield Wednesday enter the race for Tom Cannon
According to Simon Jones of the Daily Mail in his Transfer Confidential column, Sheffield Wednesday are now set to join the race to try and land the Republic of Ireland youth international this summer.
The Owls were close to landing him back in the January transfer window in what would have been his first loan spell away from Goodison Park, according to Alan Nixon, but PNE swooped for his services and he ended up flourishing in the Championship.
Now a second tier club themselves, Wednesday look to be one of many potential suitors for Cannon, who looks likely to be allowed to depart if Everton get another striker in and they are in advanced discussions to land Almeria forward El Bilal Toure.
Additions are much-needed for Xisco Munoz who is yet to sign a new player since his arrival at Hillsborough as head coach, and he will face an uphill battle in the race to land Cannon against more established rivals.
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Blackburn Rovers transfer latest and the impact of new Indian laws on incomings
Speculation around Blackburn Rovers’ transfer budgets has been rife after new laws in India imposed restrictions on overseas investments
Blackburn Rovers are continuing to assess the impact of new tax laws in India but new signings have not been ruled out.
There is uncertainty around Rovers’ budget at the moment after restrictions were placed on the Venky owners by the Indian government. Taxes on overseas investments are set to rise from five per cent to 20 in October.
It has been reported that Rovers’ owners have been advised to ‘slash overseas investments’ by the same government. Blackburn Rovers chief executive Steve Waggott admitted last week that the club would look at savings where possible to carefully manage costs as the situation develops.
Lancs Live understands this has had an impact on the transfer department, with the wage bill now reduced in line with these new developments. However, that doesn’t mean all incoming transfers have been paused.
Rovers were already shopping in the free transfer and loan market and will continue to do so until a transfer fee is received. They are still in negotiations with Tottenham Hotspur about a deal for Ash Phillips.
In layman’s terms, there is still room for new signings but Rovers have to be more mindful than before. The financials of all transfers will be scrutinised closely before they are approved.
The Venky owners are hopeful that the situation will be resolved. This is not a case of the owners pulling funding, restrictions are being placed on them.
Rovers still need to remain compliant with Financial Fair Play and want to develop a player-trading model. Exits were always likely this summer but talk of a ‘fire sale’ is over-exaggerated. Lowball offers from Lewis Travis and Thomas Kaminski have already been knocked back by the club.
The potential deal for Phillips is unrelated to this ongoing story, albeit a cash injection would be welcome. The 18-year-old is back at Rovers with the clubs negotiating a fee.
Jon Dahl Tomasson has bolstered his squad with three new players but wants a further three or four additions. A striker is the number one priority for the head coach and he has spoken openly about the desperate need to add a proven scorer to his ranks.
The timing of Arnor Sigurdsson’s groin injury has added to Tomasson’s frustrations whilst Niall Ennis is also yet to feature in pre-season as a result of fitness issues. At the time of writing, Rovers have no new attacking options fit with the new Championship season less than two weeks away.
How this situation continues to unfold will undoubtedly influence Tomasson’s thought process. He was coy in the media on Friday about his future but has two years left on his deal and took training on Monday as usual.
The Dane is incredibly ambitious and his stock is at an all-time high after his success in Europe with Malmo and an impressive first season at Ewood Park. However, with the Championship season set to begin in 12 days, there are few openings in England or across Europe, at the moment.
Equally, the club are confident Rovers can have a good season, though reinforcements are needed ahead of what is expected to be a tougher league.
Rovers were always going to be dependent on Premier League loans, particularly to add firepower to the squad. That market has yet to really get going this summer and so there is plenty of time to sign players, albeit perhaps not at the rate Tomasson would like.
