Wrexham will no doubt be on alert following the release of loan star Arthur Okonkwo at Arsenal.
The 22-year-old goalkeeper spent the 2023/24 season with the Welsh team, where he skillfully filled the gap left by Ben Foster.
3
England youth international Okonkwo quickly established himself as the club’s first choice, appearing in 40 matches in all competitions.
In total, he played 36 games in League Two, keeping 14 clean sheets and helping Wrexham return to League One for the first time since 2005.
But despite his heroics on the racetrack, he was not offered a contract extension in north London. Okonkwo is one of 22 players on the Gunners’ departure list.
Arsenal’s loss could be Wrexham’s gain, as the club’s Hollywood co-owner Rob McElhenney is a huge fan of the young player and spoke highly of him in the last season of Welcome to Wrexham.
McElhenny compared Okonkwo to NBA legend Michael Jordan and explained the concept of loan transfers to the documentary’s American audience.
The Always Sunny in Philadelphia actor said: “He’s a Premier League-level goalkeeper who happens to be young and doesn’t have a place in the Arsenal squad yet.”
“It would be like it was 1985 and the Chicago Bulls drafted Michael Jordan and they said, ‘Well, you’re a 20-year-old kid.’
“Then the Philadelphia 76ers said, ‘Hey, guess what, Chicago? We’ll take him from you for two or three years and then we’ll build him up because he can start with us and we can send him back to you.’
3
3
“Then he comes to Philly, wins three championships and everyone says, ‘Great, we’re going to start a dynasty,’ but then Chicago says, ‘Fuck off, we’re going to bring him back.’ That’s it!”
Meanwhile, Okonkwo’s former Wrexham teammate Mark Howard branded him “cheat code” after he completely threw him off track during training.
Howard, who invited Okonkwo to his “Yours, Mine, Away!” podcast, asked about the player’s height and the goalkeeper revealed that he was 6’6”.
To which Howard remarked, “While we’re at it, we can talk about your jump test, because you’re a freak, buddy.”
“We made you do that at the gym the other day and it was no fun. You’ve got a cheat code inside you, buddy.”
And McElhenney and his co-owner Ryan Reynolds will certainly hope that their great relationship will convince Okonkwo to climb down the football pyramid to continue his development in the game.
Okonkwo told the Mirror: “When we lost for the third time in a row, Rob McElhenney called me straight after the game and just said, ‘Keep up the good work, you’ve been brilliant for us and I’ve got no doubt you’ll be back to your best.’
“It was so nice to get that call, they are so supportive and I was really happy with how they supported me and helped me. They are very committed, they want the team to win every week and they let us know that.
“They get text messages, they come to as many games as possible and you don’t get that from all owners.
“They are so passionate about the club and try to get as involved as possible despite all the work. I am not surprised at Wrexham’s success because they are so committed to the project.”