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Stoke City's FLW fan pundit has urged the Potters to go back in for Tom Cannon this January

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Stoke City have defied pre-season expectations to sit amongst the play-off places 15 games into the season, but despite this, have been urged to return to a former fan favourite this January.

Heading into the third international break of the season, Stoke sit in third place in the Championship table, narrowly behind Middlesbrough in and now seven points off of table-topping Coventry City, who they fell to a 1-0 home defeat to in their most recent fixture, courtesy of Ephron Mason-Clark's late acrobatic strike.

Despite this most recent disappointment, there is more to be positive about in the Potteries than not at the moment.

Their front four has remained fairly consistent, with Sorba Thomas, Million Manhoef and Divin Mubama in particular among manager Mark Robins' most frequently used players in attack, with either Bae Jun-Ho or Lewis Baker occupying the number ten role.

The Potters have the best defensive record in the EFL at this stage, having only conceded ten goals after 15 matches, but just under two weeks ago, the side was coming under criticism over their perceived lack of goals.

That was laid to rest following their 5-1 home demolition over Bristol City and their 3-0 away victory over Oxford United, as Stoke had seemed to finally find another gear.

Mubama, on loan from Manchester City, is undergoing his first full season of senior football, having scored prolifically in the youth leagues for both West Ham and the Citizens over the years, whilst summer signing Robert Bozenik has struggled for game time, and Sam Gallagher remains on the injury table.

These factors could contribute to the Potters' prior problems in front of goal, and with the January window on the horizon, Stoke have been tipped to return for a familiar face who is struggling at their current club.

Football League World's Stoke fan pundit, Pete, has provided their thoughts on who they believe the Potters should look to sign this January, and has earmarked the club's top goalscorer from last season, who has struggled to hit form for Sheffield United.

Pete said: "In terms of one player who we would absolutely love, there's a lot of talk amongst fans about bringing Tom Cannon back.

"It obviously hasn't worked out for him at Sheffield United for reasons that are unknown, but I think that he had a very successful loan spell here.

"We're clearly short in the forward area with Sam Gallagher pretty much permanently injured.

"So I think that relying solely on Mubama up front when he's a young lad, it's a long season in the Championship, I think that if there is any way that a deal could be done to get Tom Cannon back to the club, he would be very high amongst the list of favourites amongst the fans."

Tom Cannon finished as Stoke City's top goalscorer last season despite his January departure to Sheffield United

Having joined Stoke on loan from Leicester City in the 2024 summer window, Cannon scored 11 goals in 25 appearances across all competitions during his brief stint in Staffordshire, including a four-goal flurry at home to Portsmouth, which alerted the interest of fellow clubs in the division.

The Republic of Ireland international was recalled by Leicester but was immediately sold to Sheffield United in January 2025 for £10 million. As his stay with the Blades approaches one year, it hasn't been one to write home about.

Cannon has scored just once and assisted once in 30 appearances for the South Yorkshire side across all competitions, including zero goal contributions in 12 Championship appearances this season, as the Blades head into the international break in the relegation zone.

More often than not, the 22-year-old has been forced to find minutes off the bench, having only made four league starts all season, and with his game time slowly decreasing since the return of Chris Wilder, his woes will likely continue.

Cannon is under contract until the summer of 2029, with the club possessing the option to extend his deal by a further year should they wish, but with his dismal form, a move elsewhere cannot be ruled out.

It is unclear whether Sheffield United would be willing to loan Cannon out at this stage, given the predicament they find themselves in, but seemingly having fallen out of favour at Bramall Lane, a switch could be on the cards, and a return to Stoke, where he showed what he is capable of, could prove to be a win-win for everyone involved.