Derrick Abu

Last updated

Derrick Abu
Next Generation Trophy 2018 -Erster Tag 18.jpg
Derrick Abu playing for Chelsea Academy in 2018
Personal information
Date of birth (2003-12-18) 18 December 2003 (age 21)
Place of birth Regensburg, Germany [1]
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) [1]
Position(s) Right-back
Team information
Current team
 Valenciennes
Youth career
Coerver Coaching Performance Academy
2012–2023 Chelsea
2023–2024 Southampton
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2024–2025 Southampton 0 (0)
2024 → Harrogate Town (loan) 14 (0)
2025– Valenciennes 0 (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 Championnat National club Valenciennes. Born in Germany, he is a former youth international for England U-17's.

Contents

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]

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]

On 25 June 2025, Southampton confirmed that Abu would be released following the expiry of his contract. [13]

Valenciennes

On 1 July 2025, Abu joined Valenciennes on a two-year contract. [14] [15]

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. [16] 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. [17] He released a rap single in early 2022, and followed this up with an EP later the same year, under the name Cho$en. [17] [18]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 20 April 2024 [19]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeague FA Cup EFL Cup EuropeOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Chelsea U21 2022–23————2 [a] 020
Southampton 2023–24 [20] Championship 000000——00
Harrogate Town (loan) 2023–24 [20] League Two 140———00140
Career total14000000020160
  1. ↑ Appearances in EFL Trophy

Discography

Singles

EPs

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 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. 1 2 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. ↑ "Walker-Peters and Lumley to depart". Southampton FC. 25 June 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
  14. ↑ "Derrick Abu s'engage avec le VAFC!". Valenciennes FC (in French). 1 July 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  15. ↑ House, Alfie (1 July 2025). "Abu signs at Sport Republic Valenciennes on Southampton exit". Southern Daily Echo. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  16. ↑ Emmanuel, Ifeanyi (30 October 2019). "Highly-Rated Chelsea Right-Back Abu Wants To Play For Nigeria". allnigeriasoccer.com. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  17. 1 2 "'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.
  18. ↑ 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.
  19. ↑ Derrick Abu at Soccerway
  20. 1 2 "Games played by Derrick Abu in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.