Stoke City: Tom Cannon shares passionate reaction to Sunderland AFC heroics as January saga potentially looms | OneFootball

Cannon has taken to social media after his injury-time winner secured all three points for the managerless Potters

Stoke City loan striker Tom Cannon has taken to social media to share his reaction after he fired home a late winner against Sunderland on Sunday to secure a 1-0 win and the Potters' first victory in nine games following Narcis Pelach's sacking last week.

Cannon has been Stoke's best attacker this season, and after the Potters won a heated race for his services in the summer window, his impressive recent performances have seen him win more suitors ahead of a possible recall to parent club Leicester City in January.

His latest exploits against the promotion-chasing Black Cats may well have saved Stoke from continuing one of their longest winless runs in recent memory, but it will no doubt have also alerted even more clubs to his potential availability, with his top goalscoring prowess on full show as he left Anthony Patterson with little chance in injury time at the bet365 Stadium.

Tom Cannon reacts after late heroics for Stoke against Sunderland

Cannon had spurned some early chances for interim boss Ryan Shawcross' side to take an early lead against the Black Cats, but he made no mistake with his third shot of the game in the 92nd minute to send the bet365 Stadium into raptures and seal a priceless victory.

The 22-year-old battled on the ground with Chris Mepham to seize upon Sam Gallagher's flicked pass, then quickly got up, rolled the ball forwards and took aim from 20 yards out, leaving Patterson with no chance as the ball nestled into the bottom-right corner at the Boothen End.

Cannon took to Instagram last night to offer his reaction to the victory, as a number of his teammates, including Viktor Johansson, Ben Wilmot and Gallagher, all sang his praises in the replies to his post.

He wrote: "Much needed win today, some shift from the boys, fans were unbelievable 💪🏻."

Stoke face a battle to keep Cannon in January

Stoke beat off some very strong competition to secure the Foxes frontman on loan in the last week of the summer window, and he endured a slow start to life in the Potteries but has massively improved in recent months, with his winner against Sunderland his 10th goal in 22 games in all competitions so far this season.

Sheffield United were one of the teams linked with a move for the Republic of Ireland international back in the summer window, but the Potters won the race for his services, yet their poor form as a team this season has seen rumours emerge over the possibility of Leicester being ready to recall him and loan him back out to a higher-placed team.

Transfer journalist Darren Witcoop has recently reported, via X, that Cannon is a player to watch out for over the next month, with the Blades named as one of the admiring teams, yet he also claims that United would have to strike a permanent deal with Leicester if they wanted to sign him in January.

TEAMtalk's Fraser Fletcher has followed that up by claiming that Chris Wilder's side have made moves to approach the 22-year-old over the last week, with the Foxes unlikely to recall him to use him in their own Premier League squad.

Witcoop's report also claims that Stoke are desperate to keep Cannon for the duration of this term, which, given their likelihood of being embroiled in a battle at the bottom of the Championship come May, and his strong form compared to the rest of their attackers, should come as little surprise.

Stoke need to do all they can to keep hold of the Republic of Ireland international in the next four weeks, but the reality is that the decision is out of their hands, and they could find themselves devoid of their top scorer come February.