Tom Cannon felt a “tiny bit of frustration” that he wasn’t afforded a chance to impress in the Premier League with Leicester City this season.
The striker, who is on loan at Championship side Stoke for the campaign, has said that he initially wanted to stick around at the King Power Stadium and show he has the quality to thrive at Premier League level. In the end, the club, manager Steve Cooper, and Cannon collectively decided he was best to spend his season getting more regular minutes.
While the 21-year-old did not feature often for City in his first season at the club last term, despite doing well when first called upon in the winter, he thought he was ready to step up to the top flight. City ultimately decided against that, opting to go with Jamie Vardy, Patson Daka, and deadline-day loan signing Odsonne Edouard as their striker options.
“I kind of felt a tiny bit of frustration from my end because I wanted that challenge to play in the Premier League and show everyone what I could do,” Cannon told ITV. “I thought, given the minutes, I could perform.
“To be fair, I had a good chat with Steve Cooper before I left and we came to the conclusion that it was best for me to go on loan. I accepted the club’s decision, his decision, and then it comes to a point where you’re just figuring out what’s best. And I’m at Stoke now.”
After a difficult start, Cannon became the first Stoke player in 24 years to hit four goals in a game as he gave a masterclass in finishing in the Potters’ 6-1 rout of Portsmouth last week. While he didn’t follow that up with a goal at the weekend, Stoke drawing 0-0 with Swansea, he played with more confidence after his midweek haul.