Shameless BBC pundit calls out Cantwell for sticking to lucrative Ibrox contract

Rory Loy has launched an incredible attack on Todd Cantwell and exempted Phil Clement from all blame in the Murray Park stand off.

It seems that it hasn’t crossed Loy’s mind that A Proper Football Manager has handled this terribly, that Cantwell is the only player in the world looking to move club following a change of manager.

Clement could have kept the matter in-house, used Cantwell in his team rather than Tom Lawrence or Scott Wright and hoped to get an offer from elsewhere.

What Clement did in stead has proved disastrous- a case of how not to deal with a player wanting a move.

After losing a pre-season friendly at Birmingham in which no questions were asked about Cantwell, Clement left then returned to a media conference to open up on Cantwell claiming that he wanted a new challenge. Cantwell hasn’t uttered a word.

From golden boy in the spring of 2023 likely to be sold for over £20m the TikTok influencer was suddenly worthless and draining the hard up Ibrox club of wages between £30-40k a week. Them’s the break Rory, not the sort of wages dished out at Falkirk, Dundee, Carlisle, St Mirren or Dumbarton.

A variety of media messengers are trying to shame players out of Ibrox, having been discarded by Clement they are perfectly entitled to sit tight to see of any other club will match their wages. Kemar Roofe, Ryan Jack, Jon McLauglin, Borna Barisic and John Lundstram did exactly the same.

Unfortunately for Loy and his favourite club contracts work in two ways.

Listening to the second tier utility man on BBC Scotland the Daily Record reports Loy saying:

One thing that baffled me when Clement came out and spoke about Cantwell, he said Todd Cantwell was honest with him and said he wanted a new challenge.

I cannot for the life of me wrap my head around that. He’s come up here, won one trophy, Celtic have dominated, he’s been nowhere to be seen in Old Firm games. Callum McGregor gets the better of him every single time, he’s running away from a challenge!

What kind of new challenge is it you would like? And on top of that, if Clement wants to keep him, put him on the transfer list or however, but he’s got to be professional and be available for selection.

I know it’s difficult for a manager to pick a player who’s saying that, but Todd Cantwell has a contract, he’s obliged to give his all to Rangers, he’s got to go out there and he could earn a move with performances. He’s rotting away in the reserves, earning a wage, he’ll be in no rush to move if the right thing doesn’t come up because he’ll be on a healthy wage packet I’m sure.

Philippe Clement’s hands are tied, he’s not picking him, not getting offers in, he’s got a player sitting there who could make the team better that’s saying he wants a new challenge, when he’s completely failed at his current challenge. The whole situation is baffling.

There is nothing baffling about a player sticking by their contract, it happens throughout the world, mainly after changes in management.

When a contract offer was made to Cantwell in January 2023 he signed it in good faith, eight months later Beale was sacked and his successor had a very different opinion of the former Norwich starlet.

Cantwell wouldn’t have signed a one year contract then be dumped back into English football as part of the Clement Revolution!

Knowing the history of the 2012 Tribute Act there is every chance that Cantwell will outlast the Clement with serial loser James Tavernier the classic example of players being almost impossible to get rid of.

With 11 days left in the transfer window it looks like Clement will be taking most of his deadwood to Celtic Park to face the champions on September 1.

NB Loy’s media career is entirely dependent on BBC Scotland, like Steven Thompson and many others he has no other media work. He ended his playing career at the age of 31 after making eight League One appearances for Dumbarton in season 2018/19.