Tom Cannon (footballer)

Tom Cannon

Cannon waving in bus parade after winning promotion with Leicester in 2024
Personal information
Full name	Thomas Christopher Cannon [1]
Date of birth	(2002-12-28) 28 December 2002 (age 22)
Place of birth	Aintree, England
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Striker
Team information
Current team	Stoke City (on loan from Leicester City)
Number	9
Youth career
2012–2022	Everton
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2021–2023	Everton	3	(0)
2023	→ Preston North End (loan)	20	(8)
2023–	Leicester City	13	(2)
2024–	→ Stoke City (loan)	21	(9)
International career‡
2019	Republic of Ireland U19	3	(1)
2022	Republic of Ireland U20	1	(0)
2023	Republic of Ireland U21	1	(1)
2024–	Republic of Ireland	2	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:06, 1 January 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14 November 2024

Thomas Christopher Cannon (born 28 December 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for EFL Championship club Stoke City on loan from Premier League club Leicester City. Born in England, he represents the Republic of Ireland national team.

Club career

Everton

Cannon was born in Aintree and attended Wade Deacon High School in Widnes. ^[2] Cannon is a youth product of Everton, having signed with the club at the age of 10. He signed his first professional contract in March 2021, penning a two-year contract until June 2023. ^[3] He signed a contract extension in August 2022 which would take him to June 2025. ^[4] He made his senior debut with Everton as a late substitute in a 4–1 EFL Cup loss to AFC Bournemouth on 8 November 2022. ^[5] Cannon went on to make his Premier League debut as a 74th-minute substitute in Everton's 3–0 away loss to Bournemouth on 12 November 2022. ^[6]

On 10 January 2023, Cannon joined Championship club Preston North End on loan until the end of the season. ^[7] He made his Championship debut four days later, starting in a 4–0 loss against Norwich City. ^[8] On 25 February, he scored his first goal for the club, in a 2–1 win against Wigan Athletic. ^[9] Cannon both goals in a 2–0 win against Queens Park Rangers on 7 April 2023. ^[10] Cannon scored eight goals in 21 appearances for North End as they ended 2022–23 in 12th position. ^[11]

Leicester City

On 1 September 2023, Cannon joined Championship club Leicester City on a five-year contract. ^[12] It was later revealed that a stress fracture in his back had been discovered during his medical. ^[13] He made his debut for Leicester on 9 December 2023, as a 63rd-minute substitute in a 4–0 win against Plymouth Argyle. ^[14] On 1 January 2024, he scored his first and second goal for the club, netting twice in a 4–1 home win over Huddersfield Town. ^[15] He also scored the following week in the FA Cup against Millwall. ^[16]

Cannon joined Stoke City on loan for the 2024–25 season on 30 August 2024. ^[17] On the 2 October 2024, Cannon scored four goals in a 6–1 win against Portsmouth and in doing so, was the first player to score four goals for Stoke since Peter Thorne in March 2000. ^[18]

International career

Cannon received his first call up for the Republic of Ireland Under 19s squad in October 2019 and played in three Under 19 European Championship qualifier matches against Switzerland, ^[19] Gibraltar ^[20] and Denmark, ^[21] scoring his first international goal against Gibraltar. Cannon was next called up to an Under 20s squad in March 2022 and played in a friendly match against an Ireland Amateurs side. ^[22] His first call up for the Republic of Ireland U21 team came in March 2023, for a friendly against Iceland U21. ^[23] In May 2023, Cannon was called into a training camp with the Republic of Ireland senior national team by manager Stephen Kenny. ^[24] The FA have approached Cannon to try and convince him to play for England internationally rather than the Republic of Ireland. ^[25]

On 28 May 2024, Cannon received his first official call-up to the Republic of Ireland senior national team for two friendly matches against Hungary and Portugal, making his debut appearance as a substitute against Portugal. ^{[26] [27]}

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 1 January 2025

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		EFL Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Everton U21	2021–22 [28]	—	—		—		—		2 [a]	0	2	0
	2022–23 [11]		—		—		—		5 [a]	5	5	5
	Total		—		—		—		7	5	7	5
Everton	2022–23 [11]	Premier League	2	0	0	0	1	0	—		3	0
	2023–24 [29]	Premier League	1	0	0	0	0	0	—		1	0
	Total		3	0	0	0	1	0	—		4	0
Preston North End (loan)	2022–23 [11]	Championship	20	8	1	0	0	0	—		21	8
Leicester City	2023–24 [30]	Championship	13	2	3	1	0	0	—		16	3
	2024–25 [31]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	Total		13	2	3	1	0	0	—		16	3
Stoke City (loan)	2024–25 [31]	Championship	21	9	0	0	2	1	—		23	10
Career total			57	19	4	1	3	1	7	5	71	26

1. Appearances in EFL Trophy

International

As of match played 14 November 2024

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Republic of Ireland
	2024	2	0
Total		2	0

Honours

Leicester City

• EFL Championship: 2023–24 ^[32]

References

1. "2022/23 Premier League squad lists". Premier League. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
2. "Tom Cannon's first goal". Maricourt Catholic High School. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
3. "Striker Pens First Professional Everton Contract". Everton. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
4. "U21s Striker Cannon Signs New Everton Deal". Everton. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
5. Thomas, Joe; Beesley, Chris; Newbould, Kyle (8 November 2022). "Bournemouth v Everton - score, Gray, Lowe, Stanislas goals, commentary". Liverpool Echo.
6. Cooney, Gavin (12 November 2022). "Teenage Irish striker makes Premier League debut for Everton in Bournemouth defeat" . The42.ie .
7. "Everton Striker Tom Cannon Joins PNE On Loan". www.pnefc.net. 10 January 2023. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
8. "Preston North End 0-4 Norwich City: David Wagner wins first Championship game as Canaries boss". BBC Sport. 14 January 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
9. "Preston North End 2-1 Wigan Athletic: Hosts complete turnaround against struggling Latics". BBC Sport. 25 February 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
10. "Queens Park Rangers 0-2 Preston North End: Gareth Ainsworth defiant after Championship defeat". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
11. "Games played by Tom Cannon in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
12. "Tom Cannon Makes Permanent Leicester City Move". Leicester City F.C. 1 September 2023.
13. "Tom Cannon: Leicester City say they signed striker despite back injury". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
14. "Leicester City 4-0 Plymouth Argyle - Patson Daka scored on return to Foxes side". BBC Sport. 9 December 2023.
15. "Leicester City 4-1 Huddersfield Town: Tom Cannon scores twice as Foxes go 10 points clear at top of Championship". BBC Sport. 1 January 2024.
16. Tanner, Rob. "Tom Cannon: An immediate impact, a 'diamond' – and Leicester's long-term answer up front?". NY Times. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
17. "Cannon explodes onto City scene". Stoke City. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
18. "Stoke City 6–1 Portsmouth". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
19. "Mohan's side fall to defeat against Switzerland". Football Association of Ireland . Retrieved 24 October 2022.
20. "Ireland hit 13 goals in qualifiers". Football Association of Ireland . Retrieved 24 October 2022.
21. "Ireland U19 fall to 2-0 defeat against Denmark". Football Association of Ireland . Retrieved 24 October 2022.
22. "Ireland U20s 0-1 Ireland Amateurs". Football Association of Ireland . Retrieved 24 October 2022.
23. "Ireland U21s squad named for Iceland game in Cork | Football Association of Ireland". FAI.ie .
24. "Kenny names 22-man squad for Bristol Training Camp | Football Association of Ireland". FAI.ie .
25. McDonnell, Daniel (11 June 2023). "Stephen Kenny confirms England approach for Tom Cannon: 'He needed a bit of time to reflect'". Independent.ie. Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 12 June 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
26. "John O'Shea names 26-man squad for Hungary & Portugal". FAI.ie . Football Association of Ireland. 28 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
27. Fennessy, Paul (11 June 2024). "LIVE: Portugal v Ireland, international friendly". The 42.
28. "Games played by Tom Cannon in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
29. "Games played by Tom Cannon in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
30. "Games played by Tom Cannon in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
31. "Games played by Tom Cannon in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
32. "Championship: 2023/24: Current table". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
    "Leicester: Squad details: 2023/24". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 May 2024.