Rangers transfer scouting: Todd Cantwell's Ibrox credentials assessed

“I hope you will be as excited as I am about the two or three additions we are hoping to do,” the manager said following Sunday’s 2-0 win against Dundee United.

One name put to him at Tannadice was Norwich City’s Todd Cantwell. Although not drawn on specifics, Beale elaborated on the player’s credentials having come across him at youth level.

“Todd was an excellent player when he was young and playing against my Liverpool Under 23s,” he said.

“I thought he would go on and have a fantastic career. He had that at the start and he is maybe just looking for a move to reignite it but I think he is a fantastic player at a good age.”

There’s no doubting Cantwell’s technical quality to succeed at Ibrox and the potential to return a healthy profit down the line if he is indeed on the club's radar.

After two stop-start seasons and now aged 24, with things seemingly having gone stale at his boyhood club and a contract expiring this summer, Cantwell needs a move to “reignite” his career in Beale’s words.

Having impressed during Norwich’s Premier League campaign in 2019/20 and the subsequent promotion win from the Championship, Cantwell’s trajectory looked set to travel upwards 18 months ago.

However, a change in manager and downturn in the club’s fortunes coincided with his own form. The Englishman appeared to fall out of favour under Dean Smith and spent six months on loan at Bournemouth, before returning to his parent club this summer.

Asked why his Norwich career had started to slide last year, Cantwell said: “I don’t know how long you’ve got. To be honest, football is a game where things can change quickly on and off the pitch. I don’t want to go into why it didn’t work but I accepted what’s happened and so have the club so they’ve let me go out on loan.”

So, what type of player is Cantwell and would a rumoured move to Ibrox fit the bill?

Cantwell is a versatile, attack-minded midfielder, at his best when carrying the ball forwards under pressure, drawing opponents in and progressing play.

As shown in the below heatmaps, he largely got on the ball by the touchline and left half-space during the 2019/20 Premier League season.

When Norwich won the Championship in 2020/21, Cantwell was afforded more license across the attacking third.

In either graphic, activity in the defensive half as well as the final third is noticeable. This isn’t an attacker who waits for the ball to get into dangerous areas and then makes an impact. Cantwell is a ball progressor and creator, comfortable receiving in deeper positions to drive his team up the pitch.

The fluid position Beale would afford Cantwell at Ibrox if any move were to materialise would appear to suit the 24-year-old perfectly on the surface. We’ve already seen in the new manager’s early weeks a tendency for players who previously hugged the touchline to pop up all over the pitch, in a bid to keep Rangers unpredictable. Freeing up the likes of Ryan Kent, Fashion Sakala and Malik Tillman individually.

Successful passes played to Sakala under GvB in the league (left) and Beale (right).

Similarly to Kent, Sakala's playing with more freedom. Four minutes before his goal on the left y/day, he attacked a cross from the right wing.

Read ➡️ https://t.co/OqxJJJGvYa pic.twitter.com/LQ6oDm1bS8

— Joshua Barrie (@JoshuaBarrieRR) January 9, 2023

📊 Successful passes played to Ryan Kent during Van Bronckhorst's last three games (left) and Beale's first three games (right).

One of the clear early changes has been Kent's move from hugging the touchline to moving all over the pitch. pic.twitter.com/CCkrM3Y15W

— Joshua Barrie (@JoshuaBarrieRR) December 27, 2022

In 2019/20, Cantwell notched seven goals and provided two assists and the following season he scored six having turned provider for seven.

However, last season (21/22) Cantwell played just 14 full 90s (1223 minutes) over the course of the season and recorded no goal involvements. This season has continued in a similar vein, with just 12 full 90s (1063 minutes) and no goals or assists to date.

Although it’s fair comment to draw reservations looking at these numbers, there’s more than meets the eye when considering Cantwell’s style and circumstances.

Numbers from previous years show he can provide a legitimate goal return, something that should trend upward if playing in a more possession-dominant team.

What’s more, any reported Ibrox interest likely is more motivated by what the midfielder can offer box-to-box, as well as in the final third. 

Cantwell isn’t an explosive dribbler who you’d want to constantly isolate out wide, even if he is quick enough when running into space and holds the ball well in tight spaces. If playing from the left, he’d likely be best placed with an overlapping full-back providing width and facilitating movement inside the pitch.

The Englishman looks at his most comfortable when receiving the ball in close proximity to opponents. Then able to manipulate his body and create space to attack, or base his movements on the defender’s actions. He’s a solution-finder, powerful carrier and capable ball progressor.

It’s a detail he alluded to during an interesting interview with The Athletic, saying: “I always base my touches off what defenders think I’m going to do and almost make them double-think.

“Sometimes you don’t need to beat a man to get past a man. If you manipulate your body one way and open up a space to play a ball through, the job is done. You haven’t necessarily gone past him and beaten him. I do look at it a bit like that.

“It’s not about strength. It’s not about pace. It’s about body manipulation. Dribbling is essentially moving while protecting the ball, keeping the ball close. I never really knock it and run as such, because I feel like you lose a bit of the control.”

This helps to explain why Cantwell is at his best in tight spaces, rather than isolated out wide against a full-back. He bases his touches on the room his movement creates. He wants to retain control and use intelligent body orientation to beat his man.

When watching Cantwell this detail is clear. Evidently, the Norwich Academy graduate often waits for a defender to make their move before deciding his course of action. 

Against the same opponent minutes later in this tie with Leicester, he scans just before receiving the ball which allows him to position his body suitably and squeeze between two players.

Cantwell seems at his best when using an opponent’s aggressive positioning against them. 

Here, he receives behind his marker’s shoulder, allows the ball to run across his body and then uses the first touch to spin into space his body orientation has created, before reversing a ball between the lines.

Cantwell is able to use his first touch proactively because, by his own admission, "he's basing his touches off of what a defender thinks he is going to do".

His style feels very Beale-esque. The manager is a fan of players who can twist and turn, take the ball in tight areas and create space for others elsewhere, while possessing the ability to outplay.

The below goal scored against Stoke summarises Cantwell’s strengths. He starts his run from deep, is able to beat players in his self-defined recognisable fashion and adds a finishing touch.

This strike against Sheffield Wednesday is another example of Cantwell using an opponent’s aggression to make his mind up for him when one-on-one.

Cantwell's also capable of a final pass, switching play and splitting a defence. But if Rangers’ reported interest becomes concrete, his ability shouldn’t be cast aside after a quick glance at the goals bracket. 

As demonstrated, the player's body manipulation, ball-carrying ability and solution-finding is what attracted the interest of big Premier League outfits earlier in his career.

With two forwards and an extra goalscorer in Malik Tillman populating each line-up so far, the area of the pitch that needs attention is Rangers’ midfield. Beale needs ball progresses and energy in that area and preferably, signings able to twist, turn and receive under pressure in a similar vein to Glen Kamara or Joe Aribo.

The manager knows quality is not enough to succeed at Ibrox. Continuing his comments at the weekend, he said: “I have to feel that they are someone who can come to Ibrox in front of 52,000 and really will grow and not shrink.

“That is the biggest question I have when I sit in front of a player – are they going to shrink at Ibrox or grow? We need growers and people who are going to come in in the next two or three years and help us win trophies and do well in Europe. That is the most important thing now.”

Given Cantwell’s recent form, it would be necessary to ask that question. Could he thrive under the pressure and demands of Ibrox after a difficult 18 months?

If circumstances align and a move is to materialise, the former England Under 21 International could find a spot in Beale's 11 that fits his skillset.