Brooke Norton-Cuffy

Key strength: Pace and recovery

Overlapping full-back

In a Genoa side navigating choppy waters at 14th in the Serie A table with an unpredictable LWWLL run, English right-back Brooke Norton-Cuffy has emerged as Patrick Vieira's most reliable defensive cornerstone. The 22-year-old former Arsenal academy product has been a virtual ever-present, logging 2,232 minutes across 26 appearances — an ironman workload that speaks to his durability and Vieira's trust. Norton-Cuffy refuses to be pigeonholed as merely a defensive stopper. With 2 goals and 1 assist this campaign, the marauding full-back injects genuine attacking thrust down Genoa's right flank, his overlapping runs carving space for forwards Vitinha and Lorenzo Colombo. Yet his discipline impresses equally — just 2 yellow cards despite an aggressive, front-foot approach suggests maturity beyond his years. Commanding a €16m market value, he's fast becoming one of Serie A's most coveted defensive prospects. His recovery abilities and 63-rated defensive solidity make him tailor-made for Vieira's system. As Genoa battle to stabilize their mid-table standing, Norton-Cuffy's transformation from Arsenal loanee to Serie A standout could prove the defining chapter of his young career — and potentially attract attention from Europe's elite clubs come summer.