Todd Cantwell explains why time was right to leave Rangers ‘goldfish bowl’

The midfielder, 26, left the Scottish club for Blackburn Rovers last week

Todd Cantwell during Rangers’ cup tie with Hearts in April (Getty Images)

Todd Cantwell has opened up on his move from Rangers to Blackburn Rovers, saying he needed to get “out of the goldfish bowl”.

The midfielder, 26, left Rangers on deadline day (Friday 30 August), having requested an exit over the summer and not featured for the Scottish club this season.

His move to Blackburn Rovers marked the end of a stint at Rangers that began in January 2023 and brought 14 goals from 64 appearances.

“I think there’s a misconception with how my time was at Rangers, it’s been twisted,” Cantwell told BBC Radio Lancashire. “I wasn’t a bad performer, and I certainly didn’t leave because I was being kicked out of the door. It felt like the right time to move on, but it wasn’t anything personal.

“They stated that it was important for me to stay, and I loved the club so much, so it was a very difficult decision to make. Walking out at Ibrox is something I’ll never forget, but it was the right thing for me and my career.

“As a player and a person, you have to take a little bit of responsibility for things not going the way you would have planned. [But] I think I’ve been mistreated a little bit and misunderstood. It’s disappointing when certain people, in the same building, have a different opinion and value of you.

“When you’re growing up, you don’t realise there’s a lot of politics in football. There’s situations and periods of my career where I think I’ve been mismanaged and misadvised maybe as well.

Cantwell joined Rangers from Norwich City in January 2023 (Getty Images)

“Ultimately you look back on decisions that were made about you moving clubs at certain points, that you never had any say in. At 21, there was a lot of speculation and offers, but I didn’t have the opportunity to say yes or no, because [Norwich City] didn’t want to sell me.”

Cantwell, a former England Under-21 international, has now joined Blackburn on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee. The transfer marks a return to the Championship for Cantwell.

“I see Blackburn as a massive opportunity for me to get back to England and out of the goldfish bowl a little bit,” he said.

“It’s a very respectable league, and I’ve had a lot of success in it. When I spoke to the manager and now I’ve been here a few days, you can see we are serious contenders this season.”

“I think the management here will be important with how I integrate back into consistent games. We know what the Championship is like, and we need to be sensible with not trying to do too much too early, but I’m desperate to play.”