Young Gun: Andre Harriman-Annous Young gun News

Our Young Gun series returns for 2024/25 as we get to know the academy youngsters kicking off their careers at Sobha Realty Training Centre.

Andre Harriman-Annous spoke to us recently, and here's what he had to say about growing up in Barnet, supporting Arsenal and more.

I grew up in Barnet and I started playing football in the park when I was four. My family background is African. My mum is from Nigeria and my dad is Ghanaian. When I was around five or six, I started to develop and I was playing for a local team called Whetstone Wanderers. At around seven I was scouted for the Tottenham pre-academy and I was there for a year or so, but then Arsenal and I’ve been here ever since, which is a dream come true because I’m an Arsenal fan! 

I’ve always been an attacking player, mainly on the wing. Growing up I was told about Thierry Henry and how good he was. I’ve seen lots of footage of him online and the range of goals he’d score was incredible, he’s someone that I wanted to play like. But I’d say players that I loved watching for Arsenal at the time were Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil. They were my idols. The first Arsenal game I went to was an away game at West Ham United for my birthday and that was an amazing experience. My mum convinced me to support Arsenal because my dad is a West Ham fan! 

How I got into Arsenal is quite an interesting story because the scout initially came to watch somebody else but then my mum told me that he was looking at me. When I eventually got into Arsenal it was a very proud moment for me and my family. Ife Ibrahim and Sam Chapman also joined at the same time and it’s amazing to see that we’re all still here at Arsenal on our scholarships.

"The coaches made the transition from Hale End to Sobha a seamless one"

My highlights from my Hale End days were winning a futsal tournament by beating Chelsea in the final, and also winning the Liam Brady Cup in our last year at Hale End before moving to the Sobha Realty Training Centre full time. It was a sentimental moment because we left with some silverware. The best tour we had was Dubai – it was a surreal experience. 

Before I was offered my scholarship I was pretty nervous because I was one of the last people to get an official decision. When they told me, I was relieved! I always believed I would get it but you just never know in these situations. 

I started the season well with three goals and two assists in my first three games. The coaches have helped a lot. The training sessions are very bespoke and are intense, which really allow us to develop into better players. They’ve made the transition from Hale End to Sobha a seamless one and I’ve settled in very well.

Also, it helped that I had already played for the under-18s at the back end of last season so it wasn’t an entirely new environment for me. Plus coaches such as Adam Pilling and Adam Birchall, who I’ve known from my younger days in the Academy, are also here at Sobha. 

I’ve trained with the first team four or five times. It’s very intense, for sure – that’s one of the main differences. But they really support you and get to know you after a while. Jorginho is someone who’s very encouraging and, because he’s a bit older, he gives me good advice and tips to improve my game. From a coaching perspective, I’d say that Albert Stuivenberg has also been very encouraging to me too. 

I’ve got an older brother named Brandon, who is a couple of years older than me and currently at Hull City, and he has guided me a lot because he was also at Arsenal until the under-14s. So he’d give me insight into what I should expect as I get older. Maro Itoje who plays professional rugby for Saracens and England is my cousin, so I’ve also spoken to him at times about what it takes to make it in pro sport. Also, friends like Myles Lewis-Skelly and Josh Nichols help me too – I’m tight with them and they’ve been with the first team a lot recently.

Before a game I always need to sleep on the coach – it just helps me get prepared! I have to step on the pitch with my right foot and my shinpads are always the last thing I put on before I go on the pitch. My socks have to always be cut. I can’t play without them. 

My goals for this season are playing in the UEFA Youth League and then, towards the end of the season, I want to get some appearances for the under-21s side.