Derrick Abu

Derrick Abu

Derrick Abu playing for Chelsea Academy in 2018.
Personal information
Date of birth	(2003-12-18) 18 December 2003 (age 20)
Place of birth	Regensburg, Germany [1]
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) [1]
Position(s)	Right-back
Team information
Current team	Southampton
Youth career
	Coerver Coaching Performance Academy
2012–2023	Chelsea
2023–2024	Southampton
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2024–	Southampton	0	(0)
2024	→ Harrogate Town (loan)	14	(0)
International career‡
2020	England U17	2	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 05:51, 20 April 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 2 January 2023

Derrick Abu (born 18 December 2003) is a professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Premier League club Southampton. Born in Germany, he is a former youth international for England U-17's.

Club career

Early career

Born in Regensburg, Germany to Nigerian parents, Abu's family moved to England in 2006, when he was two years old. ^{[2] [3]} After representing grassroots side Coerver Coaching at a tournament in Spain, he was scouted and signed by Premier League side Chelsea at under-11 level. ^{[4] [5]} He signed a scholarship contract with The Blues in July 2020, before signing on professional terms in February 2021. ^[6]

In late April 2023, he went on trial with fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace, scoring the winning penalty in a 5–3 penalty shoot-out win against the youth team of Valencia in the Premier League International Cup semi-final. ^{[7] [8]} On 16 June 2023, Chelsea announced that Abu would leave the club when his contract expired at the end of June. ^[9]

Southampton

On 5 July 2023, Abu joined Southampton on a two-year contract, initially joinining the Under-21 side for the 2023–24 season. ^[10]

Harrogate Town (loan)

On 1 February 2024, Abu joined League Two side Harrogate Town for the remainder of the 2023–24 season. ^[11] Two days later, he made his first appearance for the club in a 1–1 draw against Stockport County. ^[12]

International career

Abu is eligible to represent England, Germany and Nigeria at international level. ^[1] In 2019, he reportedly made himself available to represent Nigeria at youth international level. ^[13] He has since stated his desire to represent all three countries before making a final decision on who to represent. ^[3]

He has represented England at under-17 level. ^[1]

Music career

Describing himself as having a "huge passion for music", ^[3] Abu was involved with his church's choir from a young age, and wrote his first song at the age of eleven. ^[14] He released a rap single in early 2022, and followed this up with an EP later the same year, under the name Cho$en. ^{[14] [15]}

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 20 April 2024 ^[16]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		EFL Cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Chelsea U21	2022–23	—			—		—		—		2 [lower-alpha 1]	0	2	0
Southampton	2023–24 [17]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		—		0	0
Harrogate Town (loan)	2023–24 [17]	League Two	14	0	—		—		—		0	0	14	0
Career total			14	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	16	0

1. Appearances in EFL Trophy

Discography

Singles

• Life's Changing (2022)
• Real Love (2022)
• Gucci (2022)
• little do you know (2022)
• Waste my time (2022)
• Outside (2023)
• Get in motion (2023)

EPs

• Page 1 (2022)

References

1. Derrick Abu at WorldFootball.net
2. "Meet Nigeria born Chelsea youngster with promising football and rap careers". 234sportsng.com. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
3. Rotzer, Magnus (25 December 2020). "Derrick Abu: Auf den Spuren von Callum Hudson-Odoi" [Derrick Abu: In the footsteps of Callum Hudson-Odoi]. idowa.de (in German). Retrieved 2 January 2023.
4. Emmanuel, Ifeanyi (27 June 2022). "Pictured : Nigerian defender reports for pre-season training with Chelsea Youth". allnigeriasoccer.com. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
5. "Derrick Abu". chelseafc.com. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
6. "Nigeria-eligible Derrick Abu signed first professional contract". en.africatopsports.com. 12 February 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
7. "U21s Report: Palace beat Valencia on penalties to reach PL International Cup Final". cpfc.co.uk. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
8. Emmanuel, Ifeanyi (4 May 2023). "Crystal Palace take Chelsea's young Nigerian RB on trial with a view to a permanent move". allnigeriasoccer.com. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
9. "Retained list and goodbye to Bakayoko". www.chelseafc.com. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
10. "Saints confirm Derrick Abu signing". Southampton FC. 5 July 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
11. "Derrick Abu joins Harrogate on loan". Southampton FC. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
12. "Stockport County 1–1 Harrogate Town". BBC Sport. 3 February 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
13. Emmanuel, Ifeanyi (30 October 2019). "Highly-Rated Chelsea Right-Back Abu Wants To Play For Nigeria". allnigeriasoccer.com. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
14. "'There's no reason I can't develop as a music artist too' - Academy youngster Derrick Abu on finding the right notes on the field and in the studio". chelseafc.com. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
15. Clark, Gill (19 December 2022). "Chelsea academy player Derrick Abu (AKA Cho$en) releases first EP - including track titled 'Reece James'". goal.com. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
16. Derrick Abu at Soccerway
17. "Games played by Derrick Abu in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 February 2024.