Wanted in 2023, now worth £86m: Rangers missed out on “exceptional” Cantwell upgrade – opinion

Rangers lost out on a player that would have cost £40 million today in 2023.

With where the Ibrox team was under Michael Beale in September, Glasgow Rangers are still on track to complete an incredible treble. Winning the Premiership this year may rank among their greatest accomplishments.

The current Sunderland manager was fired after the Gers lost three of their first seven league games, and Philippe Clement took over as manager.

Despite the unappealing football and Beale’s inability to win a trophy during his dismal ten-month tenure, the Englishman was able to bring in a few quality players.

Beale signed Jack Butland, Todd Cantwell, and Nico Raskin, the first two of whom have made significant contributions.

Could it be that in his early years in charge, he overlooked another exceptional talent that would have revolutionised the second part of the 2022–2023 campaign?

Cole Palmer was not signed by the Rangers in 2023.
Beale led Rangers to nine wins and a tie in his first ten games after replacing Giovanni van Bronckhorst towards the end of 2022, but he was hoping to strengthen the squad in the last few weeks of the January transfer window.

The Sun claims that because Cole Palmer still had a role to play under Pep Guardiola in the second half of the previous season, Rangers had a loan agreement for him rejected by Manchester City in the final moments of the transfer window.

The talented Englishman was available on loan to a number of other teams as well, and while it appeared like an audacious move on Beale’s part at the time, Palmer’s arrival would have significantly strengthened the Ibrox first team roster.

The young player continued to play for City towards the end of the campaign, and he won medals in the FA Cup, Champions League, and Premier League, proving that sticking with the team was the right decision.

Palmer was traded to Chelsea last summer, despite appearing to have a bright future at City. The young player has clearly profited from the transfer, especially now that he has more regular playing time.

What transpired with Cole Palmer
Before the 2023–24 season began, the 21-year-old signed a £40 million transfer price to join the Stamford Bridge team. Based on his London debut, it appears like a wise investment.

Palmer, who was hailed as “exceptional” by previous manager Guardiola, appears destined to be at the top of the game if he continues to play at this level. CIES Football Observatory currently values Palmer at €100 million (£86 million).

With consistent starts by Mauricio Pochettino, the Englishman has scored 12 goals and provided nine assists for the Blues so far this season. He is performing admirably.

As a matter of fact, Palmer leads the Chelsea team in goals and assists (16), and he also leads the other players in shots on goal (one), big chances created (eight), and key passes made (1.5) per game, demonstrating his status as one of the team’s best players.

In addition, Palmer ranks in the top 10% of his positional peers for assists per 90 (0.36), the top 24% for shot-creating actions, and the top 10% for progressive passes per 90 (6.3). These statistics show that Palmer is not only a standout player for his team, but also performs well when compared to players in similar positions across the top five leagues in Europe.

These numbers undoubtedly support the theory that, even if he had only been a brief addition to the Rangers last season, he would have been a big success and could have even been an improvement over Cantwell.

Numbers from Todd Cantwell’s season
Had Beale been able to sign Palmer for a six-month loan, and he performed well during his time in Glasgow, who knows what could have transpired. Is it possible that the Gers signed him to a second, full-season contract?

Though it sounds incredibly improbable, there’s no denying the 21-year-old would have been a lot better choice to use this season than Cantwell.

The former Norwich City sensation has been playing well lately, and he currently has six goals for the season after scoring five goals in the league in his last eight top-flight games.

This still lags six goals behind Palmer’s total, though, as Cantwell currently sits fourth in the Ibrox squad for Premiership goals and assists (eight). He also ranks sixth for shots on target per game (0.8), eighth for big chances created (three), and seventh for key passes per game (1.6). These statistics demonstrate that, despite his explosiveness in games, Cantwell can occasionally be inconsistent, and this is something that needs to be addressed.

But on Wednesday night, against Ross County, the 25-year-old was magnificent, playing brilliantly at his favourite number 10 spot.

During the match, Cantwell not only produced four crucial passes but also generated two excellent opportunities, had four shots, and was successful on two of his four dribbling attempts.

His performance was visually appealing, and Clement would have been happy to watch him play at such a high level. The only thing that was lacking was a goal or an assist.

Beale suffered a setback last season when he didn’t get to play Palmer, but since making a £40 million summer transfer to Chelsea, the Englishman has prospered and embraced the difficulties of being a consistent starter in the starting lineup.

Rangers had a focus on the young player who is now flourishing in the top division, as evidenced by his recent success. He might have been the deciding factor when the Gers faltered at the end of the 2022–2023 season.

With all the qualities needed to succeed for much larger clubs, he might soon find himself taken from Chelsea if he continues to excel under Pochettino. That is beyond a shadow of a doubt.

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