Rangers could repeat Cantwell move by signing “full-blooded” titan

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Glasgow Rangers have signed several players from England over the previous few years to varying degrees of success.

The likes of Juninho Bacuna, Kieran Dowell and George Edmundsson failed to light up Ibrox following moves to Scotland.

Elsewhere, Joe Aribo, Leon Balogun and Jack Butland have shone during their respective spells at the Light Blues. One name that stands out – despite his acrimonious ending to his spell at Rangers – is Todd Cantwell.

The Englishman on his day looked like one of the best players in the Premiership, no doubt about that.

Todd Cantwell’s statistics at Rangers

Michael Beale didn’t get much right during his ten-month stint in charge of the Gers, but signing Cantwell and Nico Raskin in January 2023 was one success story.

The former Norwich City starlet took to Scottish football with ease, scoring six goals and grabbing five assists for the club during his first few months.

The following season, 15 goal contributions were registered as the Light Blues won the League Cup, but it was clear that Philippe Clement wasn’t too keen on Cantwell.

The Englishman did create seven big chances while averaging 1.7 key passes per game in the top flight last term, but he was sold to Blackburn Rovers last summer.

Judging by his statistics, Cantwell was a decent signing and could still have contributed to the team this term if he wasn’t sold.

Todd Cantwell’s domestic stats for Rangers
Metric	2022/23	2023/24
Goals	6	7
Assists	4	5
Big chances created	5	7
Key passes per game	1.3	1.7
Total shots per game	2.1	2.3
Via Sofascore

There are plenty of players from the EFL who have a lot to offer and recently, the Gers have been linked with a current Watford defender.

Considering the injury crisis in defence, it is clear that the Belgian manager will be keen to add reinforcements to this area of the pitch.

Rangers could repeat Cantwell masterclass

It was reported at the start of the month that the Light Blues had made a bid for Watford centre-back Ryan Porteous as they look to make a signing.

The Scot is well known to the Ibrox faithful, especially for his often provocative actions when playing against the club during his spell at Hibs.

There is no doubting the defender is talented, however, but things haven’t worked out this term in the Championship for him. Indeed, the 6 foot 2 titan has started only 17 games for Watford.

Despite this, he has still won 57% of his total duels contested per game in the second tier, along with succeeding with 85% of his passes and making 1.7 tackles per game.

Having made over 150 appearances for Hibs during his spell in Edinburgh, Porteous is well accustomed to the physicality of Scottish football, which could make him a solid signing for the Gers.

John Hughes hailed the defender as being a “full-blooded type of player” back in 2022 and this type of centre-back is exactly what Rangers and Clement need.

Much will depend on how much money the manager has to spend, but if Watford demands a reasonable price for the 25-year-old, then a concrete offer should be made.

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Having seen the benefits in snapping up Cantwell from England’s second tier during a January window, the Gers could repeat that trick by moving for Porteous this month.