'Andre was excellent' - Arsenal coach hails forward eligible for Nigeria, Ghana after goal v Derby U21s

Arsenal's development squad manager Mehmet Ali singled out Andre Harriman-Annous for praise following his strike against Derby County in a Premier League 2 fixture at Meadow Park on Monday night.

Born in London, Harriman-Annous can play for his country of birth England, Ghana through his father or Nigeria — thanks to his mother, Josephine Harriman, a top investment banker based in England. 

With the exception of history-making attacking midfielder Ethan Nwaneri, Andre is widely regarded as Arsenal's most exciting teenager of Nigerian descent right now.

He scored twice in seven appearances in the U18 Premier League in his final season as a schoolboy, and has played up his age group this term, scoring on his full debuts in the UEFA Youth League, EFL Trophy, Premier League 2, FA Youth Cup and U18 Premier League Cup. 

The 17-year-old was on U21 duties yesterday as Arsenal and Derby County shared the spoils with a 2-2 draw.

Sixty-four minutes into the contest, Harriman-Annous found the corner to give Arsenal a 2-1 lead but with a minute of regulation remaining, another teenager of Nigerian descent, Justin Oguntolu equalized for the Rams U21s.

Assessing the performance of Andre after the clash versus Derby County, Ali told Arsenal's official website: "Andre was excellent. He works incredibly hard for the team. 

"There’s still a lot for him to learn, of course, but playing at this level at such a young age will do him the world of good."

Brandon Harriman-Annous, the elder brother of Andre and a fellow graduate of Arsenal's Hale End Academy, earned Hull City's Goal of the Month award for February 2025 with a superb goal against Coventry City U21s.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

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