Arthur Okonkwo is one of the Wrexham players who could really prevail in the Championship next season, and he’s one of many who’ll be eyeing up another fairy-tale season.
Last season, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s Wrexham secured a third-straight promotion, landing themselves in the Championship for the upcoming 2025/26 season.
All credit goes to manager Phil Parkinson and the players for what was another odds-defying season for the Dragons, who in the end had a five-point cushion over Stockport County who finished in 3rd.
Already, pundits and fans are making their predictions for how Wrexham will fare in the Championship next season. Troy Deeney has tipped Wrexham to stabilise in the second tier and many fans are also optimistic about their side’s chances.
So too is goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo.
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Arthur Okonkwo shares his Championship promotion ambition with Wrexham
Former Arsenal man Okonkwo proved to be one of the players of the season for the Dragons last season. He signed on a permanent deal from the Gunners last summer, after Parkinson urged Wrexham to sign Okonkwo on a permanent deal, insisting that he’s a player who could prove a worthy investment for the club.
He’s doing exactly that so far, and speaking recently the shot-stopper shared his ambitions for the 2025/26 season with Wrexham, and he wants another promotion. Speaking on Amanpour and Company Okonkwo explained: “I said the same thing last year: for me, it doesn’t make sense to hope for 10th or 12th.
“I’m always going to have the mentality that we’re going to go for promotion, and if we don’t
then that’s what it is. I think everyone should be positive and we’re going to try and go for it again. Obviously this year it’s much more challenging, but it just doesn’t make sense in my mind to think about finishing in the middle when there’s so much higher you can aim for.”
How Wrexham fared last time they played in the second tier
There was a time when Wrexham were even playing European football, featuring in the Cup Winners’ Cup in the 1970s and 1980s having proved prolific winners of the Welsh Cup at the time.
Those days were long gone for a long time. But Reynolds and McElhenney have instilled a huge amount of hope that the club could one day play on Europe’s biggest stage again, with Reynolds predicting Wrexham will be Premier League before 2033.
First of all though, they have a tough second tier campaign to contend with. And if it’s anything like their last showing in the second tier then Parkinson is in trouble.
| Stat (league) | Wrexham in 1981/82 |
| Games played | 42 |
| Wins | 11 |
| Draws | 11 |
| Losses | 20 |
| Goals F | 40 |
| Goals A | 56 |
| Points | 44 |
| Table pos. | 21st |
Wrexham finished 21st in the 1981/82 Second Division table, only reaching the Fourth Round of the FA Cup, Third Round of the League Cup and the Fifth Round of the Welsh Cup in what was an overall miserable season.
Times are much different now though. Parkinson has money to spend with reports that Wrexham have a £25million transfer budget for this summer, so we could soon see some top names arriving at the Racecourse.