Wrexham fans are eagerly awaiting the first signing of the summer and will hope to sign somebody just as good as Arthur Okonkwo.
Wrexham’s season ended several weeks ago as another promotion resulted in a third straight Las Vegas party.
Phil Parkinson’s mind will already be on next season, especially as the Championship lineup is now known.
Sunderland beat Sheffield United in the Championship play-off final, whilst Charlton Athletic will join the Blades in the second tier after beating Leyton Orient.
Wrexham face a strong lineup in the Championship but will feel confident of competing – especially with a big summer in store.
Reports suggest Wrexham will splash the cash on new signings this summer with Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds keen to keep pushing towards the Premier League.
Arsenal’s Arthur Okonkwo regret sums up talent on Wrexham’s hands
Wrexham’s first signing of the summer could really set the tone for the window, but it’s unclear just when that signing will arrive.
The first signing last summer was Arthur Okonkwo – and the first new boy this summer will have a job on his hands in terms of emulating Okonkwo’s brilliance.
Wrexham struck a deal to sign Okonkwo permanently after a superb loan spell, securing quite the coup in the process.
Arsenal decided to let Okonkwo leave at the end of his contract and Wrexham were more than happy to pounce.
Okonkwo stepped up with another superb campaign in League One, and Arsenal appear to have some regrets.
Reporter Sam Cohen claimed last week that Arsenal are now focusing on the goalkeeper market moving forward, believing that there is scope for ‘value and profit’ with young stoppers.
Intriguingly, it’s noted that Arsenal have ‘learned’ from allowing Okonkwo to leave, given that he could have been sold for a lot of money.
Arsenal appear to regret letting Okonkwo leave for nothing, and at the very least feel he could have been a saleable asset down the line.
Cohen added that Okonkwo could return to the Premier League in the near future, with Arsenal now looking towards young goalkeepers to develop.
This just goes to show what a talent Wrexham have at Parkinson’s disposal.
Arsenal could spend millions trying to find a young goalkeeper like Okonkwo, but Wrexham snapped him up for absolutely nothing in terms of the transfer fee.
Still only 23, Okonkwo has so much potential and we thoroughly expect to see him shine in the Championship.
Arsenal’s loss is certainly Wrexham’s gain, and we can’t wait to watch his development at the STōK Cae Ras over the coming years.
Good luck luring Arthur Okonkwo away from Wrexham
The notion of Okonkwo playing in the Premier League certainly makes sense, but only with Wrexham – or long in the future if he moves elsewhere.
Wrexham are under absolutely no pressure to sell under McElhenney and Reynolds, and any interested club would have to come up with ridiculous money to even make the Hollywood duo think about accepting an offer.
Okonkwo finds himself in contention for a Nigeria call-up after excelling for Wrexham, and his settled role between the sticks means there is little reason to think about moving on.
Wrexham are gunning for the top flight and Okonkwo is an absolutely vital part of that plan.
There is surely no chance of Okonkwo leaving any time soon and a more likely outcome may actually be that the Wrexham stopper plays against Arsenal in the top flight one day.