After having a difficult relationship with Philippe Clement, the playmaker is giving Blackburn Rovers his best effort.
After leaving Rangers, playmaker Todd Cantwell appears to have settled in at Blackburn Rovers, which can only be unsettling for Philippe Clement, the previous manager who was under pressure.
After the Belgian took the hot seat, the two had a tense relationship until the Englishman ended his tenure in the Scottish Premiership on the last day of the summer transfer window by joining the English Championship. After Cantwell submitted a transfer request, Clement had shut him out of the first-team plans.
However, that was only the beginning of the turbulent relationship the two had at Ibrox. Both parties teased that the full story had not yet been revealed after the 26-year-old’s departure. The gaffer cruelly replaced Cantwell off Ross McCausland after just 35 minutes in the Europa League match against Aris Limassol and then criticised his lack of width on the right flank during the match against the Cypriot team.
However, Cantwell has been receiving great praise from his Blackburn teammates just days after he publicly stated that he would love to return to Ibrox in the future. After regaining his health after training with the Rangers B squad during the preseason without playing a single minute of football, veteran forward Andi Weimann believes he is bringing a creative spark to John Eustace’s club.
“The manager does a lot of work analysing the opponents and how they play,” he told the Lancashire Telegraph. We chose a location and exploited it. Todd and I took advantage of the fact that we were in those regions.
“Todd has had an amazing career thus far and has been a tremendous addition. We saw what he can do in training. It took him some time to catch up, but now that he’s begun a few, having a fully-fit Todd on the team will only help us.
“He sees a pass with his skill and the positions he adopts. He has been a useful addition.
The manager is under increasing pressure following the 1-1 draw with Dundee United, and Clement’s struggling players are being questioned about their lack of inventiveness. “There’s a lot to get into about Rangers’ performance,” worried Ibrox icon Neil McCann told Sportscene. We’ll examine the goal they give up, but I’m worried about the opportunities they generate.
“You expect Rangers to dominate the play and create opportunities at Ibrox, but that’s not good enough; there’s evidence that they’re not doing enough because St Mirren, Dundee, Aberdeen, and Celtic have all scored more goals than Rangers.”
“They don’t assault in different ways. Their left side is lacking in quality and is essentially one-dimensional and predictable.
Will Clement come to regret letting the creative energy over the border? With the pressure building quickly, it’s just one of several calls he might reflect on.
