WHAT HAPPENED?
The Red Dragons always believed that they could get a deal done for the 22-year-old goalkeeper, having seen him help them to promotion out of League Two in 2023-24. He bought into that project, while being unfazed by the Welcome to Wrexham documentary cameras, and opted to return to North Wales when reaching the end of his contract at Arsenal and becoming a free agent.
WHAT PARKINSON SAID
Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson has told The Leader of landing a top transfer target: “We are pleased Arthur has joined us permanently. It is a great signing for us. We know what he is capable of with the season he had last year. His profile as a goalkeeper, inevitably there was going to be a lot of interest in him in the summer and there was a lot of hard work behind the scenes to secure Arthur’s signing. Credit to everybody getting the deal done.
“It is important that we work hard to secure the players we really feel can make a difference. We feel that Arthur is one of those who is going to keep improving. He is still young for a goalkeeper. He has had a couple of seasons now at first-team level and he is a really good character as well. We wanted him to stay with us in the long-term. I am delighted he had joined us and it is a statement signing.”
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Okonkwo’s stock had soared to the point that clubs higher up football’s food chain than Wrexham were keen on securing his signature, with Parkinson adding on winning that race: “Arthur was a player in all the staffs mind that we really wanted to get on board as soon as the season finished because he is a really good goalkeeper. It is a key signing for us and we are pleased to get it done. It’s taken a bit of time but as I’ve said before, sometimes signings do for a variety of reasons. But we were able to secure the signature and I was pleased to get it done before pre-season starts. There were offers for him to go to a higher level but I think Arthur’s experience here was a very positive one. I am sure supporters will be excited about the signing and hopefully there will be a few more key additions before the season starts.”
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WHAT NEXT?
Wrexham, with Hollywood co-owners Reynolds and McElhenney providing the funds, are now pursuing other additions. They know their League One schedule for 2024-25, with that campaign kicking off against Wycombe on August 10, while they are also set to be reunited with Sheffield United in the Carabao Cup first round and have another pre-season tour of North America to take in.
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