Sunderland have dodged a potential transfer bullet after they diverted attention away from one out-of-form striker in January.
In the January transfer window, Sunderland were linked with several players, primarily on the attacking front.
The Black Cats and Kristjaan Speakman were keen to bring in a striker, with them being linked to a wide variety of options.
They finally managed to settle on Liverpool loanee Jayden Danns, who joined the club with a minor injury after his deadline day arrival, but he wasn’t the first choice for Speakman after deals for the likes of Chuba Akpom, Matijas Frigan, and many others weren’t able to come to fruition.
Another one that they targeted early on in the window went to a Championship rival, and whilst at the time it appeared that Sunderland had missed out on a brilliant forward, their heads may be turned now.
Sunderland dodged Tom Cannon transfer as he fails to perform for Sheffield United
In the early stages of the January transfer window, Sunderland were linked to Premier League pair Ben Brereton Diaz and Tom Cannon, who played for Southampton and Leicester City respectively.
Unfortunately for Sunderland, both players went to Black Cats promotion rivals Sheffield United, with Cannon arriving for £10 million to the Steel City.
Speakman’s trusted method of offering Leicester City a loan with an option to buy was turned away in favour of Sheffield United paying outright, but in hindsight, it has appeared that the Black Cats dodged a potential transfer bullet by not signing the striker.
In his first four games for the Blades, he is yet to find the back of the net for Chris Wilder’s side, and he was hooked at half-time in their most recent clash against Middlesbrough after not recording a single shot, and managing just nine touches.
Black Cats attacking options offer much more dynamism than Tom Cannon
Looking at Cannon’s goal record, it was obvious that he had an eye for goal, particularly in the Championship, which is why he was handed such a high price tag.
However, he would have struggled as part of Sunderland’s current set-up, with the attacking not promising the dynamism, pace, and flair that the likes of Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda can provide regularly.
Whilst the deal to sign Danns means that they are taking a gamble on a player with no Championship experience, he also arrives with the expectation of not starting ahead of Isidor, and Cannon could have potentially disrupted Isidor’s goalscoring mojo, as he may have been dropped for the Leicester City man.