Sunderland could sign an exciting alternative to Cannon in the £4.6m ace

Sunderland will travel to Burnley tomorrow night at Priority hoping they can get another positive result against one of the promotion players, after temporarily denting Sheffield United’s New Year’s confidence with a 2-1 win.

Achieving said win would see the Black Cats move into the top two positions in the league before the rest of the squad start to catch up at the weekend, as Regis Le Bris he still prays his side is made of stern stuff for the tense promotion battle ahead.

He wouldn’t say no to a number of new recruits entering the building this January to help take his team to the next level in the tax department, with Tom Cannon still standing out as the number one target.

Sunderland’s pursuit of Tom Cannon

It’s no secret at this point that Sunderland are embroiled in a battle to try and land Cannon this January, with a staggering £13 million reportedly passed on to Leicester City.

Sheffield United are also involved in this much talked about feud and the Republic of Ireland international has helped himself a healthy nine goals in the Championship this season on loan with Stoke City, before the Foxes recalled their player in a bid to move him permanently.

Instead of fighting hard for the expensive striker’s services all the time, the Black Cats could be preparing to shift their focus to another gem who has been lighting up their own division like Cannon.

If the player in question settles well after his move to the Stadium of Light in January, it could be a repeat of the successful move of Wilson Isidor, who was able to quickly adapt to the English game.

Sunderland’s potential alternative to Tom Cannon

The Black Cats’ new target comes in the form of KVC Westerlo star Matija Frigan, with Sunderland’s interest in the Croatian coming from the press Michael Graham earlier this month through your X account.

While this may not be as stunning as taking Cannon, Sunderland could reportedly secure the signature of the prominent 21-year-old for a fee of around £4.6m according to Dutch publications Voetbal Nieuwshow much Westerlo paid for the young man’s services when he left his native Croatia in 2023.

This season for Westerlo, the 21-year-old has helped himself six shots out of 20 league matches, which included a cold-blooded strike in November when Frigan scored decisively on the counter-attack.

While these aren’t overly mind-boggling numbers when you consider that Cannon has scored three more goals in the hustle and bustle of the Championship, Isidor has also entered the English game thanks to mediocre performances at Zenit St. Petersburg only for now to be Sunderland’s leading scorer in division.

Indeed, the Frenchman only got an unsatisfactory rating four goals when on Zenit’s books, with Frigan at least boasting more impressive numbers when looking at the table above.

While a no-deal move for Cannon would have angered the Sunderland masses, especially if rivals Sheffield United swooped in and snapped up the clinical Irishman, this signing also seems more in line with the Black Cats’ philosophy of buying young, raw gems in an effort to mold them into prodigies. stars.

It remains to be seen whether the former Preston North End man calls Wearside home before the chaotic window closes, but if the move proves too difficult to finalise, Sunderland could turn to Belgium to land this exciting signing.