Norwich City and Rangers won’t be surprised by Blackburn Rovers, Todd Cantwell situation | OneFootball

Todd Cantwell is at risk of suffering the same fate at Blackburn as he did at Rangers and Norwich City

Blackburn Rovers managed to avoid relegation from the Championship under Michael O’Neill.

The 56-year-old was controversially appointed as the replacement to Valerien Ismael in February despite still holding his post as the Northern Ireland national team manager.

The former Stoke City boss oversaw five wins, five draws and five defeats in his 15 games in charge, but it remains to be seen whether he will remain as manager.

The Lancashire outfit survived relegation by five points, finishing 20th in the second division table.

It could prove to be a busy summer at Ewood Park as a result of their stronger end to the campaign, as they will now look to improve the squad in order to avoid battling against relegation again next season.

However, a decision will need to be made on the manager first, particularly if O’Neill opts to walk away from his position and put his full attention on the Northern Ireland role.

Todd Cantwell’s Blackburn Rovers future is up in the air

The future of Todd Cantwell is a topic that will take a lot of focus in the early parts of the summer at Ewood Park.

The playmaker joined Blackburn late in the 2024 summer transfer window from Rangers, and he enjoyed a solid first year with the club.

He contributed three goals and seven assists from 37 league appearances as the team finished seventh, narrowly missing out on a play-off place.

But his second year with the Championship side was a step backwards, with injuries hampering his form.

The 28-year-old scored five times from 28 appearances, but struggled for consistent form and there are now question marks over his future as he enters the final 12 months of his contract.

Rovers will have to weigh up whether now is the right time to cash in on him, with the forward coming under criticism from supporters in recent months for his application and work ethic.

Cantwell is at risk of suffering from the same fate he endured at former clubs Rangers and Norwich City, where he showed a lot of initial promise before fading into obscurity and ultimately departing.

Rangers and Norwich know how Blackburn feel with Todd Cantwell

Cantwell was tipped to become a top Premier League talent during his time at Norwich, where he was linked with a big money move to the likes of Liverpool.

The Canaries set a £30 million asking price for the playmaker in February 2020, but he never quite lived up to expectation and his exit was an underwhelming moment in his career.

An 18-month stint at Rangers showed promise on occasion, but he fell down the pecking order by the time he made the switch to Blackburn in the 2024 summer market.

Cantwell’s career has been defined by showing a lot of potential, but never quite putting the work in to reach his very best level.

Blackburn now have a decision to make over his future, and to whether or not he is someone that will be a core part of the squad next season or not.

This summer offers the club the chance to cash in on him, if a market for a sale even exists, or they could let him play out the final 12 months of his deal.

It’s not an ideal situation, and the quicker the Lancashire outfit figures out the manager situation the quicker they can deal with Cantwell.

The 28-year-old featured in the final weeks of the season under O’Neill, even scoring in a 1-0 win over Birmingham City in early April, but he was far from undroppable in the run-in.

If O’Neill sticks around, it’s far from guaranteed he’ll want Cantwell in the squad when the next campaign gets underway.