Cantwell on misconceptions, Rangers and desire at Blackburn

After narrowly avoiding the drop, many could - and have - predicted Rovers to be in the thick of it again. But an unbeaten start and productive transfer window have eradicated those concerns. There's renewed fight and grit in this squad, along with quality, and that combination makes you competitive in the Championship.

How far can they go? Well, it's obvious that the floor of this team has been raised. At their worst, they're a competitive team, mid to lower-half side. But what does their best look like? Could they trouble the top ten of, what looks like, a very open Championship renewal?

That might well depend on Todd Cantwell and players of his ilk. The ceiling raisers; players that can make a difference. Whilst he's had no pre-season, this international break has fallen at the 'perfect' time, in the new arrival's eyes. "I'm desperate to be involved," was the categoric reply when asked whether fans might get a peak against Bristol City.

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It would not be unfair to say that the 26-year-old's career hasn't followed the trajectory many expected. If it had, he wouldn't have signed a three-year deal at Blackburn Rovers.

Posing a question to a player like that can be difficult. How do you avoid skirting around the subject but ask without causing offence? From the first answer, it was clear that wouldn't be an issue.

Cantwell's first responses gave a flavour of exactly who he is. A deep thinker, measured and clearly, very intelligent. So how did we get here, Todd?

"As a player and as a person, you have to take a bit of responsibility for things not going the way you might have planned," he admitted.

"I think I have been mistreated a little bit in previous places and misunderstood. It's disappointing when people are around who have opinions and values for you but others don't, in the same building.

"It's confusing as a player. When you grow up as a kid, you don't realise all the politics in football. There are situations and periods of my career where I have been mismanaged and misadvised. 

"I look back at situations where I could've moved club and you never had a say. At 21, there was a lot of speculation, bids and offers that I didn't have the opportunity to say yes or no to. They weren't selling me and that's that. 

"You can say you should've moved on but if the club you're contracted to say no, you don't have a say. It's difficult as a young player being speculated about with big money and big moves."

Cantwell is a bit of a puzzle that nobody has quite solved. He burst onto the scene at Norwich. Premier League giants were linked. Yet he left Carrow Road in 2023 under a cloud. He should've been a hero, a boyhood fan and an Academy product.

Rangers was a similar story; leaving with plenty of headlines written, though the circumstances were different. 

After a change of management, in the dugout and at boardroom level, he felt the environment just wasn't right for him.

Phillippe Clement's style was perhaps not the best fit. There was a 'burning desire' to come home, to get back to England. Away from, as he calls it, 'the goldfish bowl'.

"Michael Beale was the manager who signed me, Ross Wilson was the Sporting Director and they made it clear what it would be like," he explains.

"I was up for it and I loved my time at Rangers. It was a special football club. Nobody can take that away from me. Is it demanding and stressful, at times? Yes. But I knew that going in, I loved having to win every game, I've been like that since I was a child.

"I think there's a misconception about my time at Rangers, it has been twisted a little bit. I wasn't a bad performer, I didn't leave because I was kicked out of the door.

"The manager and I didn't see us going in the same direction. That's nothing personal, a manager has a lot of players to deal with as well. I loved the club, it was a difficult decision to make.

"It was the right thing for me to do in my career. The staffing changes, made it feel like a different place. When a new manager comes in, they have to put their own stamp on things.

"I have full respect for the management but it wasn't the right place for me to be, personally. Tactically, the way things were played, I'm 26 and I wasn't sure it was the right place for me.

"It's a bold decision but let's see how it unfolds. I am desperate to clear up that I said I didn't want to play for the club. I would never say that, I said I wanted to leave and other decisions were taken out of my hands."

So why Blackburn Rovers? The way Cantwell tells it, there were plenty of suitors, which makes the capture all the more impressive. This was always going to be a deal where the board would have to push the boat out and they did.

The vision, John Eustace, and the desire to be judged as a footballer again swung it for Rovers.

"It was the way he spoke about the club, they didn't want a player like me, they wanted me," Cantwell said honestly.

"For me, the player I am who plays on confidence, as most attacking players do, the manager, and the whole club, made it very that they were very happy at the opportunity to speak to me.

"The potential of me signing here excited them. I spoke to a few clubs, I didn't rush my decision over the summer. A lot of true stories and a lot of fake stories came out, it's best to keep it that way, a few nobody knows.

"You have to go with your heart and when the gaffer spoke to me, he was very truthful, very honest. As a player, it's something you need.

"I see Blackburn Rovers as a massive opportunity to get back playing in England, out of the goldfish bowl. I had a burning desire to get to England, something about playing in the Championship which is special.

"I want to be judged as a footballer. Being a footballer at a club like this is a great platform. I think it's important for me to show there is a very good player in there and that I'm desperate to show that. 

"I've had a lot of success in the Championship, it's a very respectable league and I can see the team are desperate to prove we're a serious contender this year.

"Nobody wants to do their talking with the media, with the greatest respect, we want to do it with results."

Cantwell is the marquee signing. He has the number eight on his back and the last occupant didn't do a bad job.

"To score that number is heard of, especially not as a striker. We are different players but what he did was fantastic, a tough act to follow," Cantwell acknowledges. Whilst they're similarly engaging interviewees, they are different profiles.

For Rovers to maximise their investment and the opportunity to sculpt another talisman, they need to get the best from Cantwell. Eustace seems the perfect man to do so. An arm around the shoulder, injecting him with confidence, but also holding him to high standards.

What makes Cantwell happy, I ask. He's evidently a confidence player and perhaps one you build the team around. Then it's up to him to prove he's worthy and a top-end Championship player, if not better.

"I need to be on the ball as much as possible. My influence on the ball and on the game is very important to me," is the instant response.

"The more I'm on the ball, the more chance I have of doing something good.

"It's very important to have the freedom and belief of a manager. There has to be structure, of course. Nobody gives a player a free role now, you win the ball back when you lose it and you work hard.

"That's something that's also been questioned about me but if you look at the data, it's always been there.

"Realistically, it's a very important year. I need to show how good I am and help this team. I believe in it and I think we have a good opportunity to be an underdog and I look forward to that.

"Some people could say it's a risky move after last year but the way this manager is setting things up, the way the board and everyone spoke to me, Rudy (Gestede) especially, with such clarity, grit and determination, made it a very easy decision."