There's a fair bit of failing to see the wood for the trees here. Cannon is a talented lad. Whether he's £13million worth of talent remains to be seen. But, because of multiple factors, we've seen fit to submit an offer (allegedly) totalling that amount. And I reckon there's a very good chance that in our current team, he can justify that price.
He's bagged a reasonable return at Stoke, who have shown themselves to be relatively lacking creatively.
We have overall, struggled to create chances too. However, with Campbell in the side (mobile, eye for goal, composed in the box), we were looking the best we had all season. Cannon appears to be a player cut from a similar cloth.
High work rate, decently mobile, bit of strength about him. Such a good striker of the ball that Stoke put him on free kicks (and he scored at least one of those for them). Pretty clinical from open play (6 non-penalty goals from 5.8 non-pen xG).
Our midfield will benefit from him offering an option in behind, compared to how things often play out currently. We far too frequently, are forced into moving the ball backwards from advanced wide positions, slowing down play, and allowing opposing defences to get into shape. With a focal point offering runs in behind (as Campbell has done), we can penetrative backlines more swiftly, and create more clear chances as a result.
I'm very hopeful that Cannon can come into our side and thrive as a central striker. He seems to have all the attributes that we are currently lacking.