Norwich City could have a Todd Cantwell 2.0 waiting for his moment | OneFootball

Norwich City have a diamond in the rough in Elliot Myles, similarly to Todd Cantwell back in 2017

Todd Cantwell's time at Norwich City left a mixed review amongst the Canaries fanbase, mainly due to the way it ended.

The now-Blackburn Rovers captain is re-establishing himself as one of the better creative midfielders in the Championship, having lost his way quite significantly in the past few years.

Indeed, Cantwell provided some of the best moments throughout Daniel Farke's tenure as Norwich boss in both the Championship and the Premier League, and as an attacking midfielder in his early twenties, he was linked with moves to the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United.

But after Farke left, Cantwell's output decreased significantly, with Dean Smith sending him out on loan to Bournemouth in January 2022 and David Wagner unable to bring him back to his best, leading to him receiving what he described as "barbaric" treatment before eventually being sold to Rangers in January 2023.

It was never all bad for Todd Cantwell at Norwich City

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Ultimately, the reason Cantwell's name gets a mixed reaction amongst the Norwich fans is that, while some parties remember the bad times at the end, others recognise how exciting he was coming out of the academy at Carrow Road.

Fanbases always have a closer relationship to those they deem 'one of their own.' Cantwell, who grew up in the Norfolk town of Dereham, joined Norwich's academy at under-10 level and worked through the academy to the first team.

After a short loan spell at Fortuna Sittard, the attacking midfielder returned to Carrow Road in the summer of 2018 and impressed Daniel Farke enough to be included in and around the first team squad for their 2018/19 Championship-winning campaign. Aged just 20, Cantwell registered a goal and two assists that year.

It was the year after, though, in the Premier League, which earned Cantwell outside shouts into the England setup and links to English giants Liverpool and Manchester United. The then-21-year-old scored six times that year, including against Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal.

The Canaries finished bottom and were immediately relegated, but the academy graduate's success was a bright spark.

Elliot Myles could follow in Todd Cantwell's footsteps very soon

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Eight years on from that promotion campaign under Farke, which introduced the footballing world to Todd Cantwell, there may be another attacking midfielder ready to make an impact in the senior fold at Carrow Road.

Elliot Myles, like Cantwell, has been with the Norwich academy since he was small, joining at age 14. He's been a solid goalscorer at youth level, netted five in 11 in the PL2 last season, and earned his first Welsh U21 cap back in March.

Myles is 19, one year younger than Cantwell was at the start of the 2018/19 campaign, and the comparisons thus far are clear to see. The only difference is that the Welshman hasn't yet got that breakthrough in the senior squad, but perhaps a year is needed for that to materialise.

The academy man has only made four senior appearances for the Canaries so far in his career. They all came in the 2024/25 campaign under Johannes Hoff Thorup, three of which were in the Championship.

Elliot Myles may need a loan spell to work his way into senior contention at Norwich City

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In a way, Myles is a little further on in his Norwich career than Cantwell was at his age. Back when the Blackburn man was 19, he'd only made one senior bow for the club in the FA Cup against Chelsea.

He'd then be loaned out in January 2018, as previously mentioned, to Fortuna Sittard, helping them return to the Eredivisie after 16 years in the Dutch second tier. He scored twice and provided three assists in 10 games.

Upon his return, that was when he became a regular cog in Daniel Farke's system. So, while the early comparisons between Myles and Cantwell are clear, they aren't completely identical, and perhaps the 19-year-old needs that experience at senior level to further his development.

Myles is yet to make a matchday squad for Philippe Clement's side this season. If he can impress in the PL2 before January, he may be deemed ready to play some senior football in the second half of the season.

Norwich City fans will hope Elliot Myles can make an even bigger impact than Todd Cantwell at Carrow Road

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It's not been the greatest of starts for Norwich in the Championship this season, with the Canaries losing five of their eight games — one fewer than they managed in 22 games in the second half of last season — conceding a league-worst 17 goals.

It is only early days, but there could be even more parallels between Cantwell and Myles in that, if Norwich don't get promoted this year, the 19-year-old could return to the club in the summer ready to join a strong second-tier side in 2027/28.

In an ideal world, the Canaries get over this early-season hump, but a rare positive could be that Myles would have a chance to be better integrated into the side. If he does, and he progresses as many expect him to, Norwich could have another very exciting attacking midfielder on their hands.