Andre Harriman-Annous shows his striker credentials for Arsenal U21s

Versatility is a useful asset to have and many young players are given opportunities in various positions.

At some stage, however, a decision needs to be made regarding what a player’s long-term position will be and it will be intriguing to see what happens in that regard in the case of Andre Harriman-Annous.

Now a fully-fledged member of the Arsenal U21 squad in terms of age, Harriman-Annous has featured prominently at that level over the past couple of seasons and has also has two competitive appearances for the first-team to his name.

While progressing through the ranks Harriman-Annous was used in various positions but after signing his scholarship contract in 2024 he was mainly deployed as a central striker initially.

In that position Harriman-Annous showed some impressive qualities such as his ability to hold the ball up and bring others into play, while he is also capable of creating chances out of very little.

There have been times when he has played up front that the Hale End product hasn’t received much service but his work-rate has always been of a high standard.

Following the signing of Evan Mooney last Winter, Harriman-Annous was moved to the left wing at U21 level.

From there we were able to witness another side to the youngster’s game as he was able to make greater use of his flair and pace, while he also combined well with Mooney at times.

Over the past couple of games at the start of this season, though, there have been indications that Harriman-Annous could now really thrive as a central striker.

In the EFL Trophy defeat to Barnet, for instance, the 18-year-old struck the post after being moved into a central position later in the game.

A similar scenario occurred against Crystal Palace in Premier League 2 yesterday with the introduction of substitute Louis Zecevic John seeing Harriman-Annous move infield again.

Within seconds of that positional switch the ball was in the back of the net as Max Dowman found Harriman-Annous, who finished well for his first goal of the season.

U21s coach David Horseman admitted to Arsenal.com after the game that the club are still undecided as to what Harriman-Annous’ best position will be in the long-term.

Interestingly, via Transfermarkt, Harriman-Annous has a similar goalscoring record at youth level for Arsenal (across U21s, U19s and U18s) while playing in both positions – he has 11 goals in 28 games as a centre forward and 10 goals in 21 appearances as a left winger.

In terms of a stylistic fit, however, Harriman-Annous could well succeed as a striker in terms of his senior career.