SAINTS have finalised their first signing of the summer window as free agent Derrick Abu arrives following his Chelsea release.

The defender is just 19 years old and could be looking to emulate the success of former teammate Tino Livramento, who joined from Cobham in 2019.

Abu has represented England at the youth level but, having never made his senior debut, he is not yet a household name.

We take a look at the club’s new man and explain exactly what you can expect…

Who is Derrick Abu?

Abu is described as an attacking right-back and has left his only club, Chelsea, after first signing for the Blues from local grassroots football at under-11.

Although he is eligible to represent both England and Nigeria, Abu was actually born in Regensburg, Germany, on December 18, 2003.

He signed a scholarship at Cobham in July 2020 before penning a first professional contract in February 2021.

Abu also trialled at Crystal Palace’s academy towards the back-end of last season, scoring the winning penalty in a shoot-out versus Valencia, before his exit from Chelsea was finally confirmed.

The youngster is also juggling a fledgling music career, rapping under the stage name Cho$en – Abu claims he has a big passion for music, after joining his church’s choir as a schoolboy.

Abu’s career so far

After impressing Chelsea scouts during a tournament with grassroots team Old Isleworthians and joining their academy, Abu featured for more local London clubs in his teens to get match exposure.

Abu, who credits the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney as his favourite players growing up, initially joined Chelsea as a midfielder and has played all across the backline.

In September 2021, Abu was nominated for the club’s goal of the month award for a thumping long-range strike versus rivals Tottenham Hotspur’s under-18s in a memorable seven-goal thrashing.

Abu assisted the first two goals in a 3-1 FA Youth Cup quarter-final win over Blackpool in 2022, with the first finished by Harvey Vale – another Chelsea youngster Saints continue to admire. He has also represented Chelsea in the UEFA Youth League.

He is still looking for his professional debut but has taken on League One opposition in Oxford United and Cheltenham Town in the EFL Trophy, beating the former 2-1 and losing 4-0 to the latter – although the goals all came from the Robins’ right and his assigned men were substituted.

International exploits

Born in Germany but raised in England, Abu is also eligible to represent Nigeria through his family – but it is the Young Lions who gave the defender his first international steps.

After success with Chelsea’s under-16s, Abu was handed his England under-17 debuts during a February 2020 camp in Marbella.

His first appearance was in a 4-2 win over Russia, following that up with another start in a 4-0 victory over Ukraine. Abu played both in a back-four and on the right of a back-three.

That squad also included the likes of Bayern Munich superstar Jamal Musiala and promising Chelsea teenager Omari Hutchinson, who played for Arsenal at the time.

These are Abu’s only England appearances and he would now have to force his way into an extremely competitive under-21 group in order to add to his youth caps.

What has Abu said?

Speaking about taking on a professional football and music career at the same time in March 2022, Abu said: “I have been making music as long as I have been playing football, going to church with my mum and being involved with the church choir. My love for music only grew from there.

”I think I had a natural talent and the most important thing is I enjoyed singing so from there it just became a hobby.

“I want people to know that I have always wanted to do both, so I made sure that I was committed to both and ready for the workload of both as I do not want one to suffer at the hands of the other.

“I want to do both at a high level. It has been relatively easy because I have put my mind to doing both. I believe if I am putting in performances and developing as a footballer, there is no reason I cannot develop as a music artist too.”

On his football development, speaking around six months later, Abu said: “I am always trying to get my body in the right shape as well as being prepared mentally as there are a lot of games to be played.

“The coaching team in all the age groups I play in have shown a lot of faith in my talents and as a player that can only help you to achieve your goals and the team's goals.

“The coaching team in all the age groups I play in have shown a lot of faith in my talents and as a player that can only help you to achieve your goals and the team's goals.”

Daily Echo: Derrick Abu joins Saints

Our verdict

Free agents are low risk and we expect Abu to bolster the ranks of the B team before looking to make an impact at first-team level, despite relegation to the Championship.

The defender could be a similar signing to centre-back Dynel Simeu, who joined Saints after his release from Chelsea at the same age two years ago.

Simeu has gone on to captain the B team and enjoy loan spells in League Two and League One but still waits for his Southampton debut.

Abu’s role could depend on the futures of Kyle Walker-Peters and Tino Livramento but former Luton Town man James Bree will still be way ahead in the pecking order.

In terms of role suitability, Abu’s versatility on the right side of defence is perfect for manager Russell Martin, who could decide to play either a three or four-man backline.