Name: Todd Cantwell

Club: Norwich City

Date of Birth: 27 February 1998

Position: Midfielder (Centre/Attacking/Wide)

Todd Cantwell - his career so far

Even though he is already one of the better developed young players at the club, Todd Cantwell’s road to success and the first-team squad of Norwich City wasn’t easy nor quick. The now 22-year-old midfielder had to go through thick and thin to get where he is right now but his determination, hard work and persistence ensured he would ultimately reach his goal.

But he is very much their own product as the Dereham-born midfielder spent all of his youth career with the Canaries, joining the team at the U10 level and advancing through the ranks of their academy until he joined the young development squads.

Even though it wasn’t really that straightforward, his rise through the levels was still pretty impressive. Cantwell played just one game for Norwich’s U18 squad, scoring two goals in the process, before being moved up the ranks and into the U23s rather quickly.

The majority of his early career was spent there and he managed to register 40 appearances, scoring four goals and assisting further five along the way as well. But despite the experience he was gaining playing for the development squad, Cantwell was still not ready for a leap into the senior team of the Canaries and the upper hierarchy decided he needed a loan deal to develop even further.

With that in mind, the young midfielder embarked on a short venture into The Netherlands where he played for Fortuna Sittard, helping the team reach the Eredivisie after playing a total of ten games, scoring twice and assisting further three under his belt as well.

Upon his return from that successful loan spell, Cantwell rejoined Norwich and was pivotal in their Championship-winning 2018/19 season, helping them gain promotion into the English top-flight.

Interestingly enough, he made his senior debut before going out on loan to Fortuna Sittard, featuring in an FA Cup game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in January 2018. He also made his Norwich City league debut in September 2018 against Reading.

Since then, he’s become a big part of the senior squad, registering 59 first-team appearances, scoring seven goals and assisting further four as well.

Transfer latest

There have been some transfer rumours and transfer news surrounding the young midfielder as of late as he was linked with a couple of big profile Premier League clubs only recently. The likes of Tottenham Hotspur and even Liverpool were mentioned as possibly being interested in him.

Of course, with his contract being valid until 2022, there is still a good chance he stays put and doesn’t move anywhere, at least for the time being. There hasn’t been any Norwich City news suggesting a new deal might be on the way and even though he seems content staying with the Canaries, his future is still very much an open book.

And since big Premier League clubs might be interested as the summer transfer window approaches, his allegiance might be put to the test.

Player profile

Cantwell is very well-known for both his playing style and very outgoing personality that manifests itself in his glorious dance moves and celebrations with his teammates. But all of that aside, the midfielder truly does have the skill set to match it and then some.

The now 20-year-old has been a big presence in Norwich’s lineup and his intelligent movement, vision to pass the ball superbly and fluid positioning across the pitch makes him a standout performer on a regular basis.

And that’s really the thing with him – it’s difficult to pinpoint his exact positioning and movement across the pitch, which makes him unpredictable. When we pair that up with great technique and a mean pass, we get a clearer picture of the kind of midfielder he is.

Usually, he will identify the free pockets of space and then aim to exploit them by advancing up the pitch and then hurting the opposition where they least expect it. Of course, he is still fairly young so his game is bound to improve as times goes on.