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Were there a hidden ingredient to the unity among the England Under-21s players as they defended their European title this summer, Brooke Norton-Cuffy might have disclosed it: a social game called Werewolf. Adopted by the senior England camp during the Qatar World Cup in Qatar, it matches a small knowledgeable faction called the wolves against the uninformed majority known as the villagers as they try to trick each other to win, in a structure like the popular TV show The Traitors.

“We played each evening,” says Norton-Cuffy. “It significantly strengthened our unity because you learn about teammates. In this day and age when mobile phones are everywhere, you sit down, you have a laugh, you have a joke … the team was very united, everyone was together, and this was evident in games when we ended up going and winning it.”

That’s the life of a young player that the young Lions had only limited time to celebrate their last-minute triumph over Germany before they headed to their clubs. For Norton-Cuffy involved joining his Serie A club – the club he joined in August 2024 after ten years with Arsenal – before taking a much-needed break.

“Everything happened very fast, so I think we perhaps missed fully celebrating it as much as we should have,” he says. “But I don’t feel like it was a shock for this group to go and win it. We all felt like: ‘Victory was ours to take, and we are going to win the tournament,’ so upon achieving it, it was like: ‘Well, we accomplished it, we’re proud of ourselves, let’s take our holidays, but now everyone’s got to go and rip up at their clubs.’”

Italian League Influence

Norton-Cuffy has certainly taken that momentum into the Serie A campaign. After missing a considerable period of his initial year owing to injuries, the 21-year-old from Southwark has become a regular under ex-Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira and mentions being frequently acknowledged around the port city.

The club is Italy’s first football club, established by a group of English expatriates in 1893, and the recent away kit that Norton-Cuffy helped to promote features the cross of St George in recognition of their origins.

“It seems many local fans seem to have connected with me in that way, as an English player, and given the club’s origins,” he says. “It has surprisingly worked out well.”

Professional Growth

The defender is emulating the journey of a similar wing-back from south London in Djed Spence, who had a loan spell at Genoa from the North London club in 2024. The player chose to depart Arsenal after successful loans at Lincoln, Rotherham, Millwall and Coventry, rejecting proposals from two Premier League sides and clubs in Germany.

“My aim was to move, compete and learn a new style of football, experience a new culture and put myself outside what I consider my familiar environment, because staying in England would have been simpler. But I said: ‘Time to test myself internationally. Time to understand Italian life. Italy’s top division is known for its defensive abilities, structure, style of play. Therefore, I concluded: ‘Time to enhance my defending capabilities, but demonstrate my abilities in attack and bring my own style to Serie A.’”

Fitness and Nutrition

The defender is recognized for energy-sapping sprints down the right and attributes his stamina to a carb‑loading regime that commences days ahead of a match. His dietary intake are provided by Genoa but he learned to cook at Arsenal – part of the education emerging talents learn at the club’s training facility.

“They assisted my development as a person, with stuff on the pitch and off the pitch,” explains the defender. “At Arsenal, you’re going there and developing continuously consistently. Besides sports education, cooking lessons occur. This has proven useful, definitely. The staff ensured mental preparation occurred, related areas. And then on the pitch, naturally, it’s a top club: quality demands are supreme, so I feel like it has helped me significantly.”

Manager Impact

The team has had a difficult beginning, securing minimal points early but working with the legend remains an ideal situation for Norton-Cuffy. He praises the ex-international, who succeeded the previous manager last November, for improving his positional skills: “His playing career was exceptional, he’s a great manager now and he’s assisted my development since his arrival. Our goal is to achieve maximum success. First we need to reach safety, typically, make sure we’re safe, and then plan ahead, but I believe the squad can of doing some very good things.”

International Ambitions

Within minutes of England’s championship success, the coach already aimed for a third consecutive title for the under-21s in 2027. Having been in the youth team that secured victory in 2022, is likely to feature the England’s upcoming games against Moldova and Andorra this month and explains the manager has acted as a important guide in his journey.

“During challenging periods last year, he found moments to reach out, say: ‘Continue pushing, you know your quality,’ give you a little pep talk. He’s always there. While representing England’s youth, coaches emphasize regularly: the goal is not to be in the under-21s the target is the main squad. So it’s dependent on my contributions internationally and how well I do at my club. I must drive myself ahead and that’s my challenge.”