Rangers target Todd Cantwell won’t be a flop at Ibrox – Si Ferry
Todd Cantwell won’t struggle in the Scottish Premiership like Joey Barton and Shane Duffy if he moves to the Ibrox, according to ex-footballer Simon Ferry.
The Norwich City midfielder has been heavily linked with a move to Ibrox throughout this window, and reports [Fourth Official, 9 January] have suggested the Gers are in advanced talks to sign the 24-year-old this month.
Cantwell is out of contract at the Canaries this summer, and it seems [The Athletic, 13 January] as though he won’t be at the forefront of new manager David Wagner’s plans at Carrow Road stadium, with the former Huddersfield Town coach revealing that the player is in talks with clubs over a move away.
Michael Beale admitted he was keen to recruit in specific areas including the midfield and he could delve into his knowledge of the Sky Bet Championship by luring Cantwell to Ibrox.
And Ferry, speaking to Grosvenor Sport, via Glasgow Live [13 January] admits he sees the 24-year-old becoming a success under Beale.
He said: “I really like Todd Cantwell. Norwich are a big club. I’ve played at Carrow Road and the fans are very demanding so he’ll be used to the pressure of playing with a big club.
“When you move to the SPL, you need to be able to run. Players from England have struggled with the intensity because it’s like a game of basketball – it never stops.
“That’s why guys like Joey Barton and Shane Duffy struggled when they came to Scotland – because of the intensity. Having seen Cantwell, he can run and he’s at a good age where he’s still young and he’s got that confidence to try things with the ball.
“Rangers and Celtic love those types of players. I can see Todd doing really well at Rangers.”
Great addition
The light blues have the option to sign Cantwell now for a relatively small fee, and it could well be deemed as a great addition to Beale’s already coveted squad.
The 24-year-old has top-flight level experience, having excelled for the Canaries during the club’s Premier League spell with Daniel Farke, and certainly knows his way around performing at a club with big expectations.
We know Beale already has a dearth of talent at his disposal in Max Tillman, Ryan Kent and Fashion Sakala the pick of the bunch and adding the technical qualities of Cantwell could well push the Gers closer to not only consistently challenging Celtic in the long haul but also toppling them.
That will be high on Beale’s agenda over the next few months, and in order to do that, he needs to match the quality Celtic have at their disposal.
The signing of Cantwell can provide the perfect tonic to kickstart his Ibrox revolution.
In other Rangers news, star man’s future is in doubt as Gers appear to locate an ideal replacement.