There was a period where it seemed that Todd Cantwell would have the world of football at his feet given his performance levels for Norwich City as he broke through, and quickly gained adoration, praise and plenty of talk about a big money Premier League move and potential England honours, but he seemed to disappear as quickly as he arrived.
Form and managerial issues more than played their part in stalling his development, and after a less than successful spell with AFC Bournemouth he made the move up north to Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers. Cantwell was looking to reignite his career but it is fair to say he blew hot and cold at Ibrox, and despite some great moments that showcased his talent, for Rangers fans his latest memory will be as a player who would not get stuck in and simply disappeared when the going got tough.
That might be a harsh summation as he is a creative flair player, but his style of play did not really enable him to ingratiate himself with their fans, and after a season and a half and 54 starting appearances, he quickly moved on and returned to the Championship with Blackburn Rovers.
With a managerial falling out, and having slapped in a transfer request, the now 26 year old does not look back fondly, and has recently said that he is now ‘70%’ back to his best as he is finally in ‘the right environment’ that allows him to thrive again, and to his credit his form has recently seen a significant up lift.
Blackburn gaffer John Eustace has described him as a ‘focal point’ in his side following his performances in their victories over Middlesbrough, Leeds United and Hull City that saw them shoot up the table and enter the Play Off spots, and it is hoped that there is plenty more to come from the former England Under 17 international.
For those on the outside of Ewood Park they will be wondering how far he can go at Blackburn as he was happy to reflect on his career so far as he spoke, yet there is a heavy dose of ‘not my fault’ as he talked about those moments that went against him.
Describing his problems as ‘uncommon’ in a short career and commenting that he has been ‘unlucky’, he feels that problems have followed him around and situations have gone against him, but the way he talks he has been blameless in that, even when he admits he has not been happy with a managers’ instructed tactics.
Time will tell as to whether he can regain the true form that granted him headlines a few years back, but he certainly has the talent.