Who Is Tom Cannon?
Tom Cannon is tied for sixth place as the top scorer of the EFL Championship.
With nine goals, he is Stoke City’s leading scorer, waiting for a solid opportunity in the Premier League.
At 22 years old, the Republic of Ireland international has been readying himself for elite football.
Formed by Everton’s Academy, Cannon had a good loan at Preston North End in the 2022/23 season, when he scored nine times.
His parent club, Leicester City, decided to sign him a season ago to play in the Championship.
However, he didn't participate as much as necessary to consider him a key player.
Now at Stoke City on loan from the Foxes, under Narcis Pelach for the first part of the season, Tom Cannon seems like the hero of this team in the final third and one of the stars to get wins and secure more points than the first half of 2024/25.
Stoke City are currently 19th, with manager Mark Robins aiming to reinvent the team’s tactics to improve their performance.
In this tactical analysis, which will take the form of a scouting report, we will provide an in-depth analysis of Tom Cannon’s profile and talent to study his potential and ideal tactics.
What Type Of Striker Is Tom Cannon?
Tom Cannon’s role is still developing.
His main ability is his finishing.
Physically, he is 1.80m in height and 64kg in weight, so his body is fairly average in height and thin.
His long stride enables him to cover the final line horizontally — see his heatmap below.
Tom Cannon Heatmap
His top speed makes him also a considerable threat running in behind, without being too agile to change direction while running but exploiting his long legs.
Cannon can also retain possession with his hold-up play, although his delivery needs to be better once he has his back to goal in possession.
Tom Cannon’s Finishing Skills
Let’s analyse the most special thing within Cannon’s profile — his finishing.
He is right-footed, but he has a large repertoire of shots from different angles and with both feet
He can also generate good shooting power without taking too much time.
Tom Cannon Shots Map
Tom Cannon sees the goal like few strikers in the Championship.
Despite the marker coming from a complex position and various defenders being in the way, Cannon can complete threatening shots on a regular basis.
In Figure 3, the setting was not easy to score from.
The ball was bouncing while Cannon was looking at the goal from the side with the marker closing him down.
He used his weak foot and prepared the shot quickly.
Nevertheless, the ball went to the far side of the net.
These types of goals are in Cannon's locker.
The defenders and goalkeepers do not expect the majority of his shots—if they do expect the shot, the power he generates can still be surprising.
Tom Cannon Scoring After Running In Behind
Although he finds many goals from complex positions, he can create excellent 1v1 situations when running in behind.
His long legs and reading in the final third make him a threat there.
Let’s see this example in Figure 4.
Like many of his goals, this action was generated thanks to a long run in behind from Cannon.
He ran in a diagonal line, and his teammate read the space perfectly.
Cannon saw the space and the defender covering the position, but the space and the time his teammate had to make an accurate pass were enough to consider it a threat.
Then, he completed a great shot when 1v1.
The goalkeeper came out to close down him, but he shot well towards the near post.
Tom Cannon As A Penalty-Taking Specialist
Another skill to score is his penalty technique.
Cannon has scored three times from the penalty point this season from four penalties taken.
He has taken and scored more penalties than anyone in the Championship this season.
His technique has been alternating with some tendencies.
He always starts with fast steps from the run-up; then, the rhythm can alternate between finishing quickly and decelerating slightly.
He charges his right foot fast and drives the ball low while orientating his body to the opposite side where the shot is going.
He has used this technique since youth categories and has a visible history of 6/8 since 2022 in Everton U21.
The only way the goalkeepers can stop him here is by guessing the side, and when Cannon’s shot is not as accurate as usual and does not reach the collocation well.
Tom Cannon Outside The Box: His Physique In Duels
Even though he is 1.80m tall, Cannon can impose himself in hold-up play by using his arms and balance.
In these situations, with his back to goal, he opens his legs and blocks the rival with his arms.
He does this excellently; the problem is what happens next.
He frequently cannot deliver the ball to his teammates well because of inadequate control or passing.
Once he takes a step and loses his strong position on the ground, he loses his balance, and his next action is inaccurate.
These actions can become fruitful if Cannon enhances his link-up play.
He can exploit his physique in the hold-up play if he becomes a better player when playing back to the goal and develops the capacity to be a threat in both target-man and advanced centre-forward tasks.
Tom Cannon In Aerial Duels
Still speaking about how his physique can become a better resource and make Cannon’s profile more complete, his aerial play could also improve.
The basis is there because sometimes he is accurate with his head and puts the ball where he wants it, and he also uses his neck to decide the direction of the ball.
In addition, he can win aerial duels with good balance and with the arms in the best way possible in this concept, like in the image below.
Tom Cannon knows how to win aerial duels by exploiting his body.
His jumping reach is still not the best, and he seems unable to help physically, but his reading of the duels is better.
As Figure 7 shows, Tom's first intention is to put his arms above his marker’s shoulders.
This way, without fouls, he will decrease the opposite’s jumping reach and can take advantage of jumping even though he is smaller.
Tom Cannon Ball-Carrying Technique
Cannon’s long legs and competitive top speed are good weapons in the final third, making a few touches while running and preparing the shot.
Even though he usually runs behind to create goalscoring opportunities, his ball-carrying technique while running is important for taking on at least one defender or the goalkeeper in a one-on-one before shooting.
In this way, his long stride, pace, and regular control give him the capacity to drive the ball in the last meters, position well, and finish.
This is perfect for cutting the tension of a final pass and keeping the ball closer to shoot from the ideal position.
Tom Cannon Ball Progression
Because of his body composition, his spin is not flexible enough to change the direction and rhythm of his run, so this is a limitation outside the box.
Also, his ball control while carrying far from the goal is not the best and can slow down the action.
Conclusion
Tom Cannon Pizza Plot
As Figure 9 shows, Tom Cannon's physical and finishing abilities are his best weapons making him one of the stars of the Championship right now.
His technique far from the box and his link-up play could make a step forward and would be ideal to become a perfect candidate for the top-flight in England.
This guy guarantees goalscoring skill, which is very valuable in modern football.
His shooting is also valuable, considering the rise of low blocks and defensive box situations.
Cannon can still improve in terms of physical abilities.
This is not the case with the passing technique, where he has limitations because of his body composition and his legs.
In aerial duels and hold-up play, he will almost certainly continue to improve his performances and the productivity of these actions because he understands and can execute the basics.
In that case, he would be a better attacker outside the box and even in his own half.
So, as a goalscorer of this biotype, Premier League teams from the lower part of the table will watch him because they need people to score with fewer chances.
He is less productive than other top scorers, such as Borja Sainz or Josh Maja, whom we have already analysed.
Mark Robins has a lot of talent on his hands.
Let's see if he can exploit it during the second part of the season.
A top scorer like this one always grabs the attention of other teams.
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