Rangers struck gold with £1.5m “catalyst” who is now worth £6.9m

Glasgow Rangers head into the final three fixtures of 2023 on a high note having won their first League Cup trophy since 2011 recently, along with securing passage to the knockout stages of the Europa League.

Philippe Clement will know that wins against Motherwell, Ross County, and Celtic prior to the winter break will see the Gers top the Scottish Premiership table heading into the winter break and this is as good an incentive as any.

This could allow the Belgian coach to enter the January transfer window with confidence that he can lure one or two quality players to his squad for the second half of the season as they would be joining a club flying high at the top of the division.

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One thing is for sure, Clement will need to have a better transfer record than Michael Beale, who only managed to sign a few players who have since turned out to be good investments for the club.

Michael Beale’s transfer record at Rangers

In January of this year, the former manager lured Todd Cantwell and Nicolas Raskin to the Gers, and they proved to be excellent signings, and this built up confidence ahead of the summer transfer window.

By the end of the window, Beale had signed a grand total of nine players, yet some have come under scrutiny for their performances.

Cyriel Dessers and Sam Lammers were the two marquee arrivals, yet, heading into 2024, the duo have scored just 11 goals between them across all competitions.

These numbers are not good enough for two regular starters and more will be required heading into the second half of the 2023/24 campaign.

While Jack Butland and Leon Balogun have been impressive since joining the club on their respective free transfers, former sporting director Ross Wilson and Beale played a masterstroke by signing Cantwell when they did, as he cost just £1.5m from Norwich City.

Fast-forward nearly a year later and his market value has risen substantially while becoming one of the most important members of Clement’s squad.

Todd Cantwell’s market value at Norwich

Cantwell made his debut for the East Anglian side during the 2017/18 season, and it did not take him long to make his mark on the side.

The Canaries won promotion to the Premier League in the 2018/19 campaign and the attacking midfielder featured 24 times but his best was to come in the top flight.

The 25-year-old was incredible during their return to the top division and scored six goals along with grabbing two assists as he shone, despite the club being relegated.

Following another solid Championship campaign during 2020/21, as he plundered six goals and six assists on the way to another title, Cantwell was attracting interest from Aston Villa as they were looking to replace Jack Grealish and the newly promoted side valued him at around £40m.

His market value at the time according to Football Transfers was only €5.4m (£4.6m) and Norwich were clearly looking to cash in on one of their prized assets.

His form began to slide, however, and from the start of the 2020/21 season until the day he departed in January 2023, Cantwell only made 27 appearances for Norwich, which eventually led to his exit from his hometown club.

Their loss was Rangers’ gain and the move has proved to be a shrewd piece of business by Wilson during his spell as sporting director, prior to his move to Nottingham Forest earlier this year.

Todd Cantwell’s statistics at Rangers

The Gers failed to win a trophy last season, but the signings of Cantwell and Raskin indicated that the future looked bright.

The former Norwich gem enjoyed a wonderful start to life at the club and across just 20 games during the second half of the 2022/23 season, he scored six goals and grabbed five assists, giving the club some momentum heading into the summer.

Despite only being in the team for five months, Cantwell ranked sixth for big chances created (five) in the league along with ranking fourth for successful dribbles per game (1.5) and it proved that he had already made a positive impact among the squad.

Journalist Josh Bunting also heaped praise on him at the end of the term, saying: “Really interested in seeing how Todd Cantwell goes next season. Has proved to be an excellent bit of business and I don’t think it’s unfair to say he’s probably a level above this league. With the momentum he has he’s going to be the catalyst in that Rangers side. Has that desire.”

Unfortunately, he has not quite replicated the form he displayed last season and this is due to a combination of an injury problem which saw him miss five matches while also being played out of position on the right wing.

The Englishman has still contributed one goal and four assists in 22 matches, but these numbers need to improve heading into 2024.

He currently ranks second for assists (three) and fourth for key passes per game (1.5) in the Premiership this season, but with Clement moving him from wide right into a number role recently, this could only benefit his numbers over the coming weeks.

Playing in a central position could allow him to have more of an influence on matches rather than waiting for the ball to come to him out wide.

Todd Cantwell’s valuation has risen at Rangers

The £1.5m fee has proven to be an excellent bargain, especially when you consider how much Cantwell is now valued at after just under a year in Scotland.

According to Transfermarkt in their latest update, the 25-year-old is now valued at €8m (£6.9m) and this value should only continue to rise if he manages to keep playing well.

The 5 foot 9 maestro has the ability to make a big impact in matches with his creativity and Clement will be hoping he can remain fit for the rest of the season.

Beale did not do much right at Rangers, but luring Cantwell to the club for such a low fee was perhaps one of his most productive achievements whilst working alongside Wilson, who struck gold with the English talent.

Clement may be aiming to land at least a couple of players who have the ability to go straight into the starting XI when the domestic season returns without having to spend a fortune.

Establishing a proper player-trading model is imperative and under the Belgian and new director of football recruitment Nils Koppen, the Light Blues have a chance to build a dynasty that could see the club return to the summit of Scottish football.

Luring more players like Cantwell to Glasgow is the priority and the January transfer window will be an exciting time to be a supporter of the club.