Opinion: Preston North End, Stoke and Cardiff City should all be tracking Arsenal starlet ahead of summer transfer window | OneFootball

The Championship is a breeding ground for potential international players who head to the second tier to hone their craft, with some top Premier League clubs believing it is better for their development than playing in the under-23’s.

In the current England squad, the likes of Jordan Pickford, Reece James, Harry Kane, Emile Smith Rowe and many others have all spent time in the EFL during their rise, and the next crop of talents are biding their time and waiting to secure their own move.

Some start in a lower league than the Championship though, and one of the more exciting cases in the last few months is that of Brooke Norton-Cuffy, an Arsenal youngster who made his first loan move to Lincoln City in the January transfer window.

The 18-year-old is already making a big impression at the Imps and he netted his first senior goal earlier in the month when Michael Appleton’s side disposed of Sheffield Wednesday 3-1 at Sincil Bank.

Quiz: Can you identify each of these 24 ex-Cardiff City players just by looking at 3 clues?

1 of 24

1. Signed for Cardiff in 2006 2. Played over 250 games in all competitions for Cardiff 3. Capped by his country

Kevin McNaughton Roger Johnson Paul Parry Glenn Loovens

Looking at his stats (via Wyscout), it’s not hard to see why Norton-Cuffy should probably be playing at a higher level – he averages 4.15 crosses per game, 6.95 dribbles per game but also 2.69 interceptions a match, showing he’s useful in defence as well as going forward.

Appleton’s decision to switch to a system that deploys wing-backs instead of full-backs has allowed the attack-minded teenager to flourish, and he’s made that much of an impression at his parent club that despite only signing his first professional contract two months ago, he has been offered fresh terms already to extend his stay, per The Athletic.

We can already look towards next season now and see what’s next for Norton-Cuffy, and there are several clubs in the Championship that should be trying their hardest to make a play for him.

There is Cardiff City, who seem to be very trusted with top flight youngsters right now with Man City’s Tommy Doyle and Leeds United’s Cody Drameh currently plying their trade in the Welsh capital.

Drameh is a right wing back and is playing in a 3-5-2 formation under Steve Morison, and assuming that Leeds will want him back for pre-season then there will be a vacancy to fill.

With Norton-Cuffy currently playing in the exact same formation at Sincil Bank, it would be a no-brainer for the Bluebirds to be eyeing him up ahead of a potential move this summer.

The same can be said for Preston North End and their manager Ryan Lowe, who is another individual who sets his side up in a 3-5-2.

We saw at Plymouth Argyle that Lowe likes his wing-backs to be a real focal point of attacks, with Conor Grant being a player who had a decent goal contribution record at the Pilgrims, but both flanks have been an issue for Lowe since he arrived at Deepdale.

He will need multiple additions in that area this summer to strengthen on Josh Earl, Greg Cunningham, Brad Potts and Joe Rafferty and North End are another club who can be trusted with Premier League loans, with both Cameron Archer and Sepp van den Berg developing well in Lancashire.

A Championship club who were using the same system for a lot of this season were Stoke City, but when Tommy Smith is unavailable or injured then Michael O’Neill sometimes opts to switch to a back four.

That doesn’t suit Ben Wilmot though, who is usually asked to fill in in that position, so some competition for Smith in the wing-back department next season – providing O’Neill remains as manager – would be ideal.

A club with some promising young talent themselves, Stoke could be an ideal destination for Norton-Cuffy to continue his development next season.

In truth there could be a number of other clubs seeking a wing-back for next season that will be in the race, and if they are then Norton-Cuffy should probably be high on many radars going into the summer – Arsenal will have a puzzle to solve eventually to work out where he’s best on continuing his devleopment.