What next for Brooke Norton-Cuffy after Arsenal defender's impressive loan spell at Lincoln?

Brooke Norton-Cuffy joined Lincoln City in late January 2022, after mainly featuring in the Arsenal under 23s set up in the first half of last season. The right-sided full-back, who has made his way through Arsenal’s academy system, made his debut for the 23s in the 2020/21 season aged just 16. Arsenal decided that the next step in his development after making seven Premier League Two appearances was to send him out on loan, with Lincoln the destination.

BBC Radio Lincoln’s commentator Rob Makepeace said that when he first saw Norton-Cuffy at the club, he was impressed with how quickly he settled into life at the League One side.

“I remember speaking to him on the first day that he joined,” Makepeace recalled. “You always wonder how a player taking his first loan will cope with taking that step up to men’s football, I think the biggest thing you can say with Brooke’s spell is that he didn’t look like a young player playing for the first time in the men’s game. He’s got that physicality about him that can really help at Championship and League One level.”

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The Imps struggled last campaign and had to settle for a 17th place finish in League One, a stark comparison after losing in the play-off final the season before. Michael Appleton also left his role following the conclusion of last season having managed over 150 competitive games for the club. Despite a difficult campaign for Lincoln, Makepeace described Arsenal’s academy graduate as a positive.

“He was one of Lincoln’s bright sparks, it didn’t always go their way but he was a player who got the crowd on the edge of their seat, you always felt like something would happen