Michael Beale is yet to make a signing as Rangers manager but he has made it clear he wants to add a couple of names in the January transfer window.
The first player in the door could be Norwich City midfielder Todd Cantwell who is free to talk to clubs with his contract at the Championship club up in the summer. Beale could decide to bring the 24-year-old to Ibrox during the winter window as he looks to chase down Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
Record Sport understands the Canaries man is on the Ibrox side's transfer radar as Beale looks to add more quality to his squad. With the former England U21 star set to become a free agent at the end of the season a number of clubs will be looking to secure his services. Beale could be planning for the end of season exodus with Ryan Kent, Ryan Jack and Alfredo Morelos due to leave the club as it stands.
Both Jack and Kent's contracts are up at the end of the season which could leave Beale short in the centre of the park, while creative midfielders Malik Tillman will head back to Bayern Munich once his loan spell ends in Govan, although there is an option to make his stay permanent. Rangers fans will be looking closely at who can fill the gaps in the midfield area for Beale's new look side. Here's everything we know about Cantwell as Beale looks to make him his first acquisition.
Who is Todd Cantwell?
The talented playmaker has scored 14 goals in 129 appearances for Norwich City and excelled under ex-manager Daniel Farke. He scored six times in his debut season in the Premier League in 2019/20 when he was a regular under the German. But he was sent on loan to Bournemouth last term before signing a one-year extension with City last summer. The south coast outfit were given the option to sign Cantwell on a permanent deal but decided against the move.
What has been said about him?
Cantwell burst onto the scene during his debut season in the Premier League and had many managers wishing they had the budget to sign him. As Norwich City's performances started to dip so did Cantwell's. However, prior to that season he was compared to former Newcastle and Liverpool midfielder Gini Wijnaldum by Claudio Braga who managed Cantwell during his loan at Fortuna Sittard back in 2018. Braga said: "I’ve worked with Danny (the Portugal international) and, in his youth, I worked with Gini Wijnaldum. But what I can say is for me – and it is difficult to say these things – is I think Todd is at the same level and maybe he can achieve more, because he has the talent."
What are his key qualities?
Cantwell is a creative player who will look to find through balls for strikers making darting runs. Braga's former assistant manager at Fortuna Sittard, Kevin Hofland, told Sky Sports about his qualities. He said: "I cannot say anything about what happened before but I remember watching on television when he came on as a substitute against Volendam and immediately I saw that he has this certain way with the ball.
"Quick handling, one touch and two touch all the time. Decision making. Recognising the situation. I didn't know the player but his quality with the ball was immediately obvious. When I came in I saw it in training too. I am a coach who wants to play a lot of possession games in small spaces and that requires quick thinking. That is what you see with him. We immediately put him in the team."
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