One Championship manager has confirmed that a bid has been placed for Sunderland transfer target Tom Cannon.
Sunderland have already made one addition in the January transfer window, with French midfielder Enzo Le Fee coming through the door. However, the Black Cats aren’t stopping there when it comes to high-profile Championship signings.
One name that has been tipped with a move to the second-tier is Leicester City striker Tom Cannon, who was recently recalled from Stoke City.
Sunderland and Sheffield United have undergone a tug of war for Cannon, who scored on two occasions for Stoke City against the Black Cats this season, however the Blades at this moment in time look like front runners.
On top of this, Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder has spoken about the Leicester City target, where he made it clear that he was unwilling to ‘hide behind anything’ when asked about the attacker.
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Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder confirms bid for Sunderland target Tom Cannon
When Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris was questioned about the interest, the Frenchman remained coy, stating that ‘speculation is speculation’.
Sheffield United coach Wilder, in contrast to Le Bris, couldn’t have responded to the question in much more of a contrasting fashion, as he confirmed the interest from the side of the Blades.
Per the Sheffield Star, Wilder said: “There’s a bid gone in [for Cannon]. Other clubs want the player. I’m not going to hide behind anything or mug anyone off; we’re in the race for Tom and there’s a lot of other things that have got to happen as well.
“We’re in the race for a couple of others as well and we have to have those contingency plans. The owners want to back the recruitment team in association with the new data route we’re going down and everything adds up. We’re in discussions about a player, there’s no point trying to disguise that.
Sheffield United could potentially find themselves in the driving seat for Cannon after their recent takeover from a consortium of ambitious American owners, who are clearly backing Wilder this January.
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Looking at what both Sheffield United and Sunderland have to offer Cannon this January, it is very level-pegging, but the Blades potentially have a very slight upper hand in regards to how likely they are to reach the Premier League.
The Leicester City man will be guaranteed game time no matter where he ends up in the Championship, but one thing that Sunderland can offer is an environment that he is guaranteed to thrive in, and develop his abilities to finally reach Premier League level.
Looking at the strikers that have played for Sheffield United in recent years, they have not quite been able to match the impact of club legend Billy Sharp, with Rhian Brewster notably being a significant signing from a few years ago that has certainly not worked out.
In contrast, Sunderland boss Le Bris has managed to get the very best out of the likes of Eliezer Mayenda and Wilson Isidor, and the Frenchman will no doubt expect and receive similar results from Cannon, who must be careful in choosing his next destination.