Given Todd Cantwell was once rated as a potential £50m Premier League star, the playmaker’s disappointing Rangers stint is one tinged with sadness.
Cantwell was once the talk of the English top flight with Norwich City slapping the bumper price tag on the attacking midfielder’s head back in 2021.
The 26-year-old’s career has since taken a substantial downturn and after winding up at Rangers in January 2023, Cantwell finds himself back south of the border.
A difficult 18 months ended in the summer when Todd Cantwell beat the transfer deadline to sign a £600k deal to join Blackburn Rovers.
But going by the latest very public show of support from Ewood Park gaffer John Eustace, it’s a bargain fee Rangers could wind up regretting in the seasons to come.
‘Excellent’ Todd Cantwell shines for Blackburn
Todd Cantwell is yet to start a game for Blackburn Rovers since making the switch from Rangers last month.
But that doesn’t mean the midfielder isn’t making an impact with Cantwell instrumental as Blackburn broke down a stubborn QPR side in the English Championship this weekend.
Coming on at half-time, Cantwell put in an inspired 45-minute display at Loftus Road where he was central to everything good that Rovers produced.
After Lewis Travis had beaten the resolve of 10-man QPR, the ex-Rangers star delivered a beautiful cross to the back post for Danny Batth to net Blackburn’s second goal in a 2-0 victory.
Speaking about the inspired performance of Todd Cantwell come full-time, Eustace promised to banish the midfielder’s ‘tough’ time at Ibrox.
The Blackburn manager also waxed lyrical about the ability of the ex-Canaries star, branding Cantwell an ‘excellent player’ and claiming it’s up to Blackburn to ‘get him fit and firing’.
“Todd is a top-class player who has had a tough time during the last 18 months,” Eustace told the Lancashire Telegraph.
“He’s a quality player and you don’t have the career he’s had, played for some very good clubs if you’re not. We want to give him the opportunity to express himself and play the way he wants.
“If we can do that, we have a very good player on our hands. He is an excellent player and it’s up to us to get him fit and firing.
“It was a fantastic ball for the goal. He’s a very good player and then that lifts everyone else. You can see the energy levels and the quality of other players went up when he came on.”
Eustace also confirmed that the substitution was pre-planned, with Cantwell coming on even if QPR hasn’t been reduced to 10-men through Jonathan Varane’s late red card.
“The message at half-time was the same,” said Eustace. “We knew what we had to do and we brought Todd on to do that.
“He was coming on regardless, we could see we were getting into good areas and we just needed a final bit of quality to make it count.”
Wantaway Rangers star sullied Ibrox legacy
The comments will come as no surprise to Rangers fans, who genuinely did believe in what Todd Cantwell could bring to the Ibrox side.
But this is a situation the Ibrox supporters will want Blackburn Rovers fans to know that they’ve seen before.
Cantwell started brightly in Glasgow before issues with the midfielder’s attitude quickly began to conflict with Philippe Clement’s collective Ibrox message.
Infamously being hooked in the first half of a Europa League clash with Aris Limassol, there was a feeling the midfielder didn’t see eye-to-eye with the manager and the project quickly turned sour.
Knocking on Clement’s door and asking to leave this summer, that was the moment Rangers fans gave up on Todd Cantwell with no room for passengers at Ibrox.
Claiming that the Rangers project wasn’t the same one he signed up to, Cantwell spoke highly of the club on his exit but a lack of commitment is unforgivable to the loyal Ibrox support and has sullied his albeit underwhelming Ibrox legacy.
For a player with such obvious talent, Cantwell has proven a disruptive and immature presence almost everywhere he’s been and let’s hope Blackburn can reignite his stuttering career.
God knows they tried at Norwich City, Bournemouth and then Rangers.
Whilst we’re not quite sure Cantwell will ever reached the dizzying heights he was tipped to as a youngster, there is still time for Todd to make a proper name for himself in the game.
For his sake more than anyone else’s, let’s hope that starts at Ewood Park with Blackburn unbeaten and currently 3rd in the Championship table.
