New Arsenal star is related to England Rugby captain Maro Itoje

Join our Breaking News and Top Stories WhatsApp community for all the latest news direct to your phone.

Just three weeks ago, Harriman-Annous was entering the final year of his scholarship. Now, the 17-year-old striker has been rewarded with his first professional contract at the Emirates.

“It’s a really good day to sign my first professional contract,” Harriman-Annous said. “I’m a fan of Arsenal so it’s a dream come true really.

“I want to keep playing in the under-21s, hopefully with England too. I want to go to the under-19 Euros at the end of the season and hopefully, if I keep pushing, I’ll be on the bench and make my debut with the first team. Hopefully, I can make that possible.”

As per Premier League regulations, first professional deals are capped at three years, meaning Harriman-Annous’ new contract likely runs until 2028.

The teenager has already been around the first-team environment this summer, featuring in pre-season and even getting a run-out against Newcastle United. His rise has been quick but not surprising—he has been prolific at youth level, scoring 17 goals across the u18 Premier League, FA Youth Cup, Premier League 2, UEFA Youth League, and EFL Trophy last season.

Harriman-Annous’ family ties to elite sport are well known. His cousin, Saracens and England lock Maro Itoje, has been a consistent figure of inspiration. Though excelling in different sports, the pair are said to share a close relationship, with Itoje offering advice on the discipline and mentality required at the highest level. Arsenal coaches have noted how Harriman-Annous carries himself with a maturity beyond his years—something that may well reflect Itoje’s influence.

The striker, who can also play wide, finds himself competing for opportunities at a time when Arsenal’s forward line is particularly stacked. Just as Kai Havertz needed rest, new arrival Viktor Gyökeres stepped in to lead the line, leaving Harriman-Annous waiting for his moment. At 17, however, time is firmly on his side.

For now, his immediate target remains a full step up to regular u21 football. Having played far more minutes for the u18s than the u21s last season, the progression is ongoing. A first-team breakthrough will have to wait—but Arsenal believe it is a matter of when, not if.

As the sport grows faster, stronger, and more tactical, certain laws stand out as ripe for reconsideration—not to upend the game, but to make it fairer, safer, and more exciting.

We highlight four specific laws that, with thoughtful updates, could better reflect the way rugby is played today. These ideas come from a deep respect for the game and a desire to see it flourish for players and fans alike.

World Rugby has shown it’s willing to adapt in recent years—these could be the next steps in that evolution.

Rugby has changed significantly over the years, and one of the biggest shifts is how the bench is used. These days, teams often bring on almost an entirely new forward pack late in the game. Big, fresh players crash into tired defenders, making the final 20 minutes less about skill and endurance, and more about brute force. Many fans and former players feel this has turned rugby into a collision sport rather than a contest of stamina and intelligence.

Reducing the number of substitutions would encourage players to pace themselves. Space would open up in the second half, creating more opportunities for creative play rather than endless phases of pick-and-go. It would reward fitness, smart decision-making, and those capable of performing for the full 80 minutes.

Fewer substitutions wouldn’t just make the game more exciting—it would make it fairer, safer, and more in line with the spirit of what rugby has always been about.

With the rise of 6–2 and even 7–1 bench splits, pioneered by Rassie Erasmus, the trend seems to be heading in the opposite direction. That’s all the more reason to act now.

The caterpillar ruck is one of those tactics that, while legal, just doesn’t sit right with many who love the game. It involves players lining up behind a ruck in a queue, giving the scrum-half extra time and space to kick.

It slows the game to a crawl, gives the defence no real chance to compete, and often feels more like a way to kill momentum than build it.

It may be clever, but it’s not entertaining. Fans want to see fast, hard-fought rugby—not box-kick after box-kick with a queue of bodies shielding the kicker. Eliminating or limiting the caterpillar ruck would speed up the game and reintroduce unpredictability at the breakdown.

This isn’t about removing strategy. It’s about keeping the game flowing and true to what makes rugby exciting: dynamic, contested play.

Referees have improved at calling “use it” earlier, which helps speed things up, but more needs to be done. Getting rid of the caterpillar ruck would go a long way toward fixing the issue.

The 20-minute red card was introduced as a middle ground—punishing dangerous play without completely ruining a match. But let’s be honest: it sends the wrong message. If a player commits a reckless or dangerous act, 20 minutes off the field doesn’t always feel like enough—especially for serious offenses, like a high tackle that could end an opponent’s game or season.

Rugby has made major strides in protecting players, especially around the head and neck. Keeping the full red card—where the offending team plays a man down for the rest of the match—reaffirms that commitment. It makes the consequences clear: cross the line, and your team suffers. That’s how you change behaviour.

Yes, it’s tough. Sometimes it may seem harsh. But safety must come first. It’s about respecting the game and the long-term health of every player on the field.

In many ways, the 20-minute red gives officials a cop-out. It’s often seen as the easy option to avoid controversy—even when a full red card is justified.

Few things in rugby divide opinion quite like the driving maul from a lineout. For some, it’s a show of power and coordination. But for many fans, it feels like a loophole — a near-guaranteed way to score that sucks the creativity and unpredictability out of the game.

A well-drilled pack can set up a maul five metres out, trundle forward almost unstoppably, and fall over the line for a try. Where’s the skill in that? It’s become rugby’s cheat code — more about physics and numbers than ingenuity or flair.

Outlawing the maul as a direct scoring weapon would open the game up. Instead of endless rolling rucks towards the try-line, teams would need to find inventive ways to use space, pass under pressure, or outsmart the defence. That’s what gets fans on their feet.

Defenders, too, would benefit. At the moment, they’re often left with little option but to illegally collapse a maul, leading to a penalty or yellow card. Take away the automatic try-machine, and we’d see fewer cynical infringements, less frustration, and a fairer contest.

The maul will always have a place as a tactical tool in the middle of the pitch — but when it’s allowed to dominate the scoreboard, it turns rugby into something it was never meant to be.