Preston North End fans continue to wait for a decision on Tom Cannon’s return to the club with Everton seemingly stalling.
It’s unbelievable that we’re still talking about a ‘will he or won’t he’ over Cannon into the second half of August.
PNE have been desperate to bring striker Cannon back to Deepdale this summer and we can’t blame the club for this hold-up.
Cannon was in the stands to watch North End in pre-season action against Aberdeen nearly a month ago now.
That seemed like a real tip that Cannon was heading back to PNE but here we are on August 17th with no deal done.
Fans are probably getting sick of this saga now; everybody with a PNE persuasion appears to have some kind of inside claim about how Cannon is coming back ‘tomorrow’ – but tomorrow never comes.
The Liverpool Echo even claimed last week that Cannon was scheduled to be at Deepdale to join PNE last Wednesday but Everton delayed the move.
The Sun’s Alan Nixon adds that Cannon was supposed to join PNE this Wednesday but, yet again, Everton have delayed the deal as they want another striker first.
The whole saga is bordering on the ridiculous now and PNE fans want to see the deal done soon – especially with a considerable loan fee needed for the move.
So who is at the centre of Everton’s decision over Cannon and his possible loan exit?
Two figures stand out, starting with director of football Kevin Thelwell.
Thelwell will sign off on all of Everton’s business and he actually has history at PNE.
Thelwell was North End’s director of youth under Billy Davies way back in 2005, before following the Scot to Derby County.
The Welshman ended up taking on a huge role at Wolverhampton Wanderers and then head of sport at New York Red Bulls before joining Everton in 2022.
Then there is James Vaughan, who serves as Everton’s Loans Pathway Manager.
Vaughan plays a key role in deciding loan destinations for Everton’s young players and was in constant contact with Cannon during his spell with North End last season.
Former Toffees striker Vaughan also has ties to North End as he was a teammate of boss Ryan Lowe at Bury.
Lowe and Vaughan featured together nine times for Bury during the 2016-17 season and Vaughan will have certainly trusted Lowe to help Cannon’s development.
PNE will hope those connections to Thelwell and Vaughan can help secure the Cannon deal, but the transfer deadline is drawing closer and closer with fans fearing missing out.