Tom Cannon has been made to wait for his chance since moving to the King Power Stadium
The centre forward had spent the second half of last season on loan in the Championship with Preston North End, where he impressed considerably, not least with his return of eight goals in 20 appearances for Ryan Lowe’s side.
That saw a number of Championship clubs linked with a move for the 20-year-old over the course of the summer window, although it was Leicester who ultimately won the race for his services.
It was reported that the Foxes paid somewhere in the region of £7.5million to complete the signing of Cannon, who put pen to paper on a five-year deal secures his future at The King Power Stadium until the end of the 2027/28 season.
Following that move however, it is probably fair to say that things have not gone as Cannon or Leicester would have wanted them to, with regards to the striker’s individual fortunes.
What has happened to Cannon at Leicester?
Having completed his move to the Foxes on the final day of the summer transfer window, Cannon is still yet to make his debut for the club.
That is due to a back injury that he has been forced to recover from since his move to Leicester, that has prevented him from once again showing what he can do in the Championship.
However, that could soon be about to change, judging by the latest comments from Leicester manager Enzo Maresca.
Providing an update on Cannon’s fitness ahead of his side’s trip to the Riverside Stadium to face Middlesbrough on Saturday afternoon, the Foxes boss revealed that the striker is now fit and in contention for selection again.
Given the fact that the January transfer window is now less than two months away, there is an argument that circumstances mean that news on Cannon, has come at a particularly good time for Leicester.
Why could Cannon’s return for Leicester be important ahead of January?
While Leicester saw a number of players leave over the course of the summer following their relegation from the Premier League to the Championship, they did manage to retain the services of a number of their centre forward options.
Both Kelechi Iheanacho and Patson Daka remained on the books at The King Power Stadium, despite both being linked with moves away in the summer transfer window.
But with January looming, and clubs across the divisions always in the hunt for centre forwards to provide those all important goals, it may be no huge surprise if the duo were to start attracting attention again when the window reopens.
That is particularly the case when it comes to Iheanacho, who will be in the final six months of his contract at Leicester, which may put them under pressure to cash in on him while they still can.
Were that to be the case with those two players, it could potentially leave Maresca’s side short on options in the centre forward role.
As a result, the return of Cannon to fitness feels like it could be especially timely for the Foxes, given it ensures they have another proven option at centre forward at this level who can step in to fill that void left by any potential departures.
