Cantwell Breaks Silence on Rangers Exit After Clement Talks

Todd Cantwell has fired back at Rangers manager Philippe Clement after he left Ibrox for Championship club Blackburn Rovers on deadline day.

 

Clement revealed earlier in the summer transfer window that the former Norwich man had asked to leave the Glasgow giants for a new challenge, and as a result was frozen out of the first-team for the opening games of the season as the team actively worked on a move for him, before finally securing a move away to Ewood Park last week in a deal worth up to £1million.

And speaking on the move for the first time, the 26-year-old playmaker has now suggested that it was a clash with the manager himself that convinced him to seek a move away from Rangers rather than anything else, while also claiming that he never said he didn’t want to play for the club anymore.

 

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It was revealed by Clement during pre-season that Cantwell had asked to leave the club, and during an interview with Sky Sports the midfielder broke his silence on the move to Blackburn and has revealed why he made that decision.

 

“Things changed around the club and obviously with a manger going, the backroom staff go with them, and it felt like a different place.

“I think when a new manager comes in they have to put their stamp on things and we had a bit of a bounce where last season we got ourselves in a really good position to do well. Like I said, I’ve got full respect for the manager and the management at Rangers now but I didn’t feel it was the right place for me to be, and they are personal reasons, but I think you don’t have to look too far behind tactics and the way a team plays, and how you get the best version of yourself.

 

“At 26, if you’re not sure what the best changing room for you to be in is, then ultimately you’ll probably bounce around quite a lot. I made a decision, it’s a bold decision and yeah, lets see how it unfolds.”

The reporter then asked for Cantwell’s reaction to Clement making his request public, and the 26-year-old took his chance to make his stance clear after being “desperate” to clear up some inaccuracies.

 

“Yeah listen, it was his decision to tell the press that that was my decision. We had spoken internally for a while before the season had finished.

 

“Ultimately we couldn’t find a happy medium for both and one thing I’m desperate to clear up, I touched on it on my Instagram, was that I never, ever said I didn’t want to play for Rangers Football Club. That never came out of my mouth. It never would.”