Arthur Okonkwo has become a key player for Wrexham, and he’s one of the handful of players who could become a very valuable asset for the club in years to come.
Wrexham are known for signing a lot of older, more experienced players. But in names like Arthur Okonkwo, Phil Parkinson has a younger player with bags of potential, and every chance of going on to become a really expensive player for the club.
Last summer, Wrexham signed Okonkwo on a permanent deal from Arsenal, following his impressive stint on loan with the club the season before. The 23-year-old went on to keep 19 clean sheets in 33 League One games on the way to promotion.
And speaking in a recent episode of Welcome to Wrexham, Parkinson revealed how he told the Wrexham owners to sign Okonkwo last summer, outing him as one player that the club should invest some money in for the future.
Arthur Okonkwo admits he didn’t know where Wrexham was before he signed
Okonkwo was on the books at Arsenal for many years as a youth player. Before he signed on loan with Wrexham though, he was actually playing out in Austria on loan with Sturm Graz. Then in the summer of 2023, Wrexham came calling, but Okonkwo has now admitted that he didn’t even know where Wrexham was before he signed.
Speaking in an interview on Amanpour and Company, Okonkwo revealed: “When my agents did tell me about the opportunity, I did have to search ‘where is Wrexham’, that’s me being honest! I knew they were in the EFL. I knew a bit about the club, but I didn’t know how well they were doing.”
Wrexham fans will certainly forgive Okonkwo for not knowing much about the city or the club before arriving. Like so many others around the world, he’s now well aware of the club and the great things they’ve achieved over the last few years.
How Phil Parkinson convinced Arthur Okonkwo to join Wrexham last summer
This summer, it might not take a lot of convincing for players to join Wrexham. But last summer they were fresh out of League Two and people still didn’t really know how long their momentum would continue.
But Okonkwo said he had no doubts about joining. Okonkwo says Parkinson convinced him to join Wrexham by selling him the idea of going for a third-straight promotion, which they of course achieved in the end.
The Wrexham goalkeeper explained: “When I spoke to the gaffer last summer before I joined, straight away I knew that this was the right move. The manager had a plan, he said he wanted to go and do it again, and I signed. I have belief in the manager and the decisions he’s made and the players he brought in.”
Parkinson will need some more of the same nous in the transfer market this summer to attract yet more quality players, with the Championship set to be the biggest test of Wrexham’s mettle so far.