Recent Sheffield United evidence will see Leicester City laughing all the way to the bank | OneFootball

Sheffield United's £10m signing of Tom Cannon from Leicester City has not worked out at all so far.

Sheffield United appear to be having a wobble at just the wrong time, with back-to-back defeats seeing Chris Wilder’s side drop out of the top two with five games to go.

Whilst every game in the Championship offers a challenge, an away game at Oxford followed up by a home fixture with Millwall didn’t look too daunting for the Blades.

Yet, they lost both by a single goal, and frustration is beginning to show at Bramall Lane, with Wilder criticising the fan reaction to the Oxford defeat.

Sheffield United’s January spending will be questioned

Losing games means that everyone at the club comes under scrutiny, and some at Sheffield United are starting to question the January recruitment.

It was an aggressive window by the Yorkshire club, as they went out and strengthened in various positions by predominantly bringing in players who were proven in English football and ready to make an instant impact.

You can understand the logic there, but, in the case of Tom Cannon, it just hasn’t worked out so far.

After scoring nine goals on loan for a struggling Stoke side, the Blades were convinced to pay Leicester around £10m to sign the striker, as they saw off competition from Sunderland.

Such a fee understandably brought expectations, but Cannon is yet to deliver on that. So far, he has failed to score in 11 games, and his last seven outings have come from the bench.

Tom Cannon is struggling to make an impact at Sheffield United

Whilst there are some supporters questioning Wilder's team selection right now, there won’t be many asking why Cannon isn’t featuring more.

The former Everton man is failing to contribute in the time he does have on the pitch, which is backed up by the fact he has managed just three shots on target in a Sheffield United shirt.

In that period, his total xG is 0.95, and a 67% pass accuracy is nothing to get excited about either. Simply put, he just isn’t doing much when he does play.

Of course, there has to be some balance, and it’s notoriously difficult to move mid-season, as you have to adapt to a new system, teammates and manager. It can take time.

Plus, the player will argue he hasn’t been given a proper run in the team, which has prevented him from building a relationship on the pitch with the likes of Gus Hamer and Callum O’Hare.

But, when the Blades paid £10m, making Cannon one of the top ten most expensive signings in their history, they would’ve expected a bit more.

Tom Cannon can still be a Sheffield United hero

The beauty of football is that things can change very quickly, and Cannon has proven, both with the Potters and Preston, that he can score goals at this level.

All connected to Sheffield United will be hoping that it’s a case of once that first goal goes in, things change for the 22-year-old, as his confidence and belief comes back. And, if he scores the goal that takes the Blades up, everything will be forgotten anyway.