🔗 Share this article Brooke Norton-Cuffy: ‘Vieira was great as a player and he’s a great manager now’ Were there a secret formula to the cohesion among the England Under-21s players as they defended their European title this summer, the young full-back might have revealed it: a social game called Werewolf. Adopted by the England first team setup during the 2022 tournament in Qatar, it pits a small knowledgeable faction called the wolves against the unaware group known as the villagers as they try to trick each other to win, in a structure like the well-known series The Traitors. “We played each evening,” says Norton-Cuffy. “It really helped us bond because you understand each other better. Today when mobile phones are everywhere, you sit down, you enjoy yourselves, you have a joke … the team was very united, the collective was strong, and you saw that on the pitch when we ended up going and winning it.” Such is the reality for emerging talents that Lee Carsley’s squad had only a few hours to celebrate their dramatic late victory over Germany before they went their separate ways. The defender’s situation involved joining his Serie A club – the club he joined in August 2024 after his youth at Arsenal – before taking a much-needed break. “The transition was very rapid, so I think we probably didn’t get to enjoy it as much as we should have,” he says. “However, I don’t believe it was surprising for our team to emerge champions. We all felt like: ‘We should win the tournament, and success was inevitable,’ so upon achieving it, it was like: ‘OK, we’ve done it, we’re proud of ourselves, time for vacation, but everyone needs to perform for their teams.’” Italian League Influence He has undoubtedly brought that form into the Italian league. After missing a large portion of his debut campaign owing to injuries, the London-born defender has become a regular under former Gunners star Patrick Vieira and says he is regularly recognised around the port city. Genoa are Italy’s oldest club, founded by a group of English expatriates in 1893, and the new away shirt that the defender assisted in launching features the cross of St George in recognition of their origins. “I believe many local fans have related to me in that way, as an English player, and given the club’s origins,” he says. “Unexpectedly, it fits perfectly.” Professional Growth Norton-Cuffy is following in the footsteps of another flying full-back from the capital in Djed Spence, who played temporarily at Genoa from Spurs in 2024. Norton-Cuffy decided to leave Arsenal after productive spells at Lincoln, Rotherham, Millwall and Coventry, rejecting proposals from English top-flight clubs and clubs in Germany. “My aim was to move, play and experience a different football approach, learn about Italian culture and place myself beyond what I consider my familiar environment, because I could have easily stayed. However, I decided: ‘Let me try the challenge abroad. Time to understand Italian life. The Italian league is known for its defensive abilities, tactics, playing approach. Thus, I determined: ‘Time to enhance on my defensive side, but demonstrate my abilities going forward and add my unique flair to Italian football.’” Training and Preparation Norton-Cuffy is known for exhausting bursts down the right and attributes his stamina to a energy-boosting diet that starts three days before a match. His dietary intake are provided by Genoa but he learned to cook at Arsenal – part of the education emerging talents learn at Arsenal’s youth system. “They helped me mature into a man, through football training and in personal development,” says Norton-Cuffy. “At Arsenal, you’re going there and developing continuously every day. Besides sports education, culinary skills are taught. These skills have helped, 100%. Coaches guaranteed you were doing your psychology work, stuff like that. And then on the pitch, obviously it’s Arsenal Football Club: quality demands are supreme, so I believe it benefited me significantly.” Vieira’s Influence The club experienced a slow start, earning just two points in five matches but being coached by Vieira remains a perfect scenario for Norton-Cuffy. He praises the ex-international, who succeeded the previous manager last November, for enhancing his tactical awareness: “His playing career was exceptional, he’s a great manager now and he’s improved my game since he’s come in. The objective is to get as high as possible. First we need to reach safety, approximately, make sure we’re safe, and then look from there, but I believe the squad can of performing well.” England Aspirations Immediately following England’s championship success, the coach already aimed for a hat-trick of victories for England’s youth in 2027. The defender, who featured in the youth team that secured victory in 2022, is expected to start the young Lions’ qualifying matches against Moldova and Andorra in October and says Carsley has also been a major influence on his career. “When facing obstacles last year, he made time to contact me, say: ‘Keep going, you recognize your talent,’ give you a little pep talk. He’s consistently available. During youth international duty, they stress it in every single camp: success means graduating the objective is senior national team. Therefore, it relies on my contributions internationally and how well I do at my club. I must drive myself ahead and that’s my challenge.”