Chris Sutton ends Todd Cantwell feud as former Rangers man starts to tick all the right boxes
Chris Sutton admits Todd Cantwell has played a pivotal role in helping Blackburn climb into play-off contention - despite his previous run-ins with the midfielder when he was at Rangers.
Cantwell swapped Ibrox for Ewood Park last summer after handing in a transfer request at Rangers, and after a long summer of talk he finally sealed his exit at the end of August. The playmaker has caught the eye this season for Rovers, with one goal and three assists in 18 league games. At the end of November, Cantwell scored the only goal in a crucial 1-0 home win against Leeds and after 20 matches, Rovers sit just one point outside the play-off spots.
The former England youth international had previously exchanged a war of words with ex Celtic and Blackburn hero Sutton during his two and a half year spell at Ibrox. After throwing jibes at each other via social media, in October 2023, Cantwell branded Sutton as an 'attention seeker' who he felt had only started an argument with him to 'stay relevant'.
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Shortly before Cantwell's Rangers' exit was confirmed, Record Sport columnist Sutton trolled the midfielder with a parting shot, by joking that Celtic skipper Callum McGregor would be relieved to see the back of him. But ahead of Blackburn's Lancashire derby showdown with Burnley this afternoon, Sutton - a Premier League winner with Blackburn in 1995 - appears to have cooled their relationship by praising Cantwell's impact in helping the team become a creative force.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "I think he's made Blackburn a more fluent team. His goals and assist aren't there but week in and week out, speaking to a couple guys at Blackburn, he's made them a better team. He knits things together really well, he's better in that No.10 role rather than off the left hand side or off the right where I'm not necessarily sure he has got the legs.
“He's got real football intelligence and will be key today (against Burnley) in terms of knitting things together and sliding balls through, creating opportunities, because that's something Blackburn haven't been good enough at the top end of the pitch and is something they need to be a little more clinical at.”
