Sheffield Wednesday linked with Arsenal’s Brooke Norton-Cuffy

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Sheffield Wednesday are reportedly keen on Arsenal defender Brooke Norton-Cuffy.

The wing-back spent the second half of last season on loan at Coventry City and helped them reach the Championship play-off final.

With Wednesday now back in the second tier, The Sheffield Star has reported that Norton-Cuffy is a player on their radar.

Brooke Norton-Cuffy to Sheffield Wednesday?

But would he be a good signing for the Owls? And do they need him?

We quizzed our FLW writers…

Josh Cole

The Owls will definitely need to add to their options in this particular area of the pitch this summer due to the imminent departure of Jack Hunt.

While Norton-Cuffy is still learning the ins and outs of senior football, he did demonstrate last season that he is capable of competing in the Championship, and thus this could prove to be a clever signing by Wednesday.

Over the course of his loan spells at Rotherham United and Coventry City, the full-back made 44 appearances in the second tier and recorded 1.7 tackles per game.

By featuring week-in, week-out for Wednesday next season, Norton-Cuffy could potentially take his game to new heights while also helping the club achieve a relative amount of the success at this level.

Adam Elliott

Sheffield Wednesday releasing Jack Hunt leaves them with just one senior right-back at the club, in the form of Liam Palmer.

Palmer has been a fantastic servant for the Owls, but turns 32 next season, and Norton-Cuffy would add further energy and speed, which are aspects of Palmer’s game that are starting to decline somewhat.

The Arsenal youngster has the direct running and dynamism needed for a right-wing-back role in Darren Moore’s system and would be a decent addition.

Although he is not as solid as Palmer in the defensive side of his all-round game, the 19-year-old is improving all the time, and another Championship loan with regular senior game time is crucial for himself and his development at this stage of his career. This is a smart move for all parties involved.

Ned Holmes

This would be a great signing for Sheffield Wednesday in my eyes.

With Jack Hunt leaving the Owls and Liam Palmer often used more centrally in the latter part of 2022/23, it’s no surprise to see Darren Moore targetting the right flank in the summer transfer window.

They’ll need more dynamism from that side in the Championship next term and Brooke Norton-Cuffy would certainly give them that.

The 19-year-old’s numbers weren’t eye-popping at Coventry City in the second half of last season but it speaks volumes that he was a regular fixture in a side that went all the way to the play-off final and only missed out on promotion via penalties.

He’s still a bit raw but his physicality, ball-carrying ability and direct running in particular could be a real asset for the Owls on the right – particularly with Barry Bannan able to pick him out.

On loan or permanent, this makes complete sense.