Arthur Okonkwo

Arthur Chukwuezugo Okonkwo (born 9 September 2001) is an English professional football player who plays as a goalkeeper for Austrian Bundesliga club Sturm Graz, on loan from Premier League club Arsenal.

Arthur Okonkwo
Okonkwo playing for Sturm Graz
Personal information
Full name Arthur Chukwuezugo Okonkwo[1]
Date of birth (2001-09-09) 9 September 2001[2]
Place of birth London, England
Height 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in)[3]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Sturm Graz
(on loan from Arsenal)
Number 1
Youth career
Hampstead Academy
0000–2009 Lindus Park
2009–2021 Arsenal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021– Arsenal 0 (0)
2022–2023 → Crewe Alexandra (loan) 23 (0)
2023– → Sturm Graz (loan) 11 (0)
International career
2016–2017 England U16 2 (0)
2017–2018 England U17 3 (0)
2018–2019 England U18 5 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:19, 20 April 2023 (UTC)

Early life

Born in London, Okonkwo began his career at Hampstead Academy before moving on to Lindus Park,[4] where he joined the Arsenal academy as an eight-year-old in 2009.

Club career

Arsenal

Okonkwo came through the Arsenal ranks quickly, starring on the bench for an under-18 Arsenal match, while being registered as a player for the under-15 team.[5] He also debuted for the under-23 Arsenal side as a 17-year-old.[6] By the 2018-19 season, Okonkwo came runners-up in the U18 Premier League, and was already appearing as a bench goalkeeper for the first team, and going into the 2019-20 campaign, he would be 3rd in line for goalkeeping duties. Okonkwo struggled with injury in the 2019-20 campaign, failing to register a single appearance for any of the Arsenal teams. Okonkwo's double save in the Premier League 2, against Brighton was a contender for the best save of the 2020-21 season.[7]

Okonkwo played in Arsenal under-21s' 2–1 victory in the EFL Trophy at Crawley Town on 30 October 2020,[8] and in a 1–1 draw at Plymouth Argyle in the same competition on 2 November 2021.[9]

He signed a senior contract with Arsenal in early July 2021, donning the number 33 for the first team. Okonkwo made his senior team debut on 13 July 2021, against Hibernian in a friendly, misjudging a back pass from Arsenal teammate Cedric Soares, to grant Martin Boyle a tap-in, in a 2–1 loss to Hibernian.[10][11]

Crewe Alexandra (loan)
Okonkwo in Crewe Alexandra kit at Wimbledon in 2022

Okonkwo joined EFL League Two side Crewe Alexandra on a season-long loan on 29 July 2022.[12] He was signed in time to be eligible for Crewe's season-opening game at Rochdale; Crewe's first-choice goalkeeper, Dave Richards, had suffered a finger injury and required an operation.[13] Okonkwo duly made his Crewe and professional league debut in a 2–1 win at Spotland on 30 July 2022,[14] then kept a clean sheet on his home debut in a 3–0 win over Harrogate Town at Gresty Road on 6 August 2022.[15] After 26 appearances and ten clean sheets for Crewe, Okonkwo was recalled by Arsenal in mid-January 2023.[16]

Sturm Graz (loan)

On 16 January 2023, Okonkwo joined Austrian Bundesliga side Sturm Graz on loan until the end of the season.[17] He made his Sturm Graz debut against Rapid Vienna on 10 February 2023. Okonkwo played in the Austrian Cup final on 30 April, with Sturm Graz beating SK Rapid Wien 2-0.[18]

International career

Okonkwo represented England at under-16 and under-17 levels, then debuted for the under-18s two days before his birthday.[19] He remains eligible for Nigeria, too, through his family descent.[6][20]

Style of play

An Arsenal academy graduate, Okonkwo has stated that Petr Cech and David De Gea influence his own goalkeeping style.[21][4] Okonkwo said this on him playing as a goalkeeper: "I tried playing outfield but it wasn’t for me. I enjoyed the thrill of making saves – the more spectacular the better".

Career statistics
As of match played 16 April 2023
Club Season Division League National cup[lower-alpha 1] League Cup Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Arsenal U212020–21[8]—0000001[lower-alpha 2]010
2021–22[9]—0000001[lower-alpha 2]010
Total 0000002020
Crewe Alexandra (loan) 2022–23[22] League Two 230201000260
SK Sturm Graz (loan) 2022–23[22] Bundesliga 9010——100
Career total 320301020380
  1. Includes FA Cup, Austrian Cup
  2. Appearances in the Football League Trophy

Honours

Sturm Graz

References
  1. "Røk ut etter straffedrama" [Quit after crime drama] (in Norwegian). Supporterklubben. 31 March 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  2. "A. Okonkwo - Profile with news, career statistics". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 2022-07-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. "Arthur Okonkwo: "I Want To Be Crewe Number One"".
  4. "Young Gun: Arthur Okonkwo". Young Gun: Arthur Okonkwo. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
  5. "Who is Arthur Okonkwo? Youngster travels with Arsenal". 17 April 2019.
  6. "Arthur Okonkwo". www.arsenal.com. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
  7. "Arthur Okonkwo Arsenal Goalkeeper, Profile & Stats | Premier League". www.premierleague.com. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
  8. "Arthur Okonkwo | Football Stats | Arsenal | Season 2020/2021 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 2022-10-29.
  9. "Arthur Okonkwo | Football Stats | Arsenal | Season 2021/2022 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 2022-10-29.
  10. "Hibernian vs. Arsenal - Football Match Report - July 13, 2021 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
  11. Collin, Iain. "Hibs show promising signs against strong Arsenal side". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
  12. "Arthur Okonkwo: Crewe sign Arsenal goalkeeper on season-long loan". BBC Sport. 29 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  13. "Dave Richards To Undergo Surgery On Finger Injury". CreweAlex.net. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  14. "Rochdale 1-2 Crewe Alexandra". BBC Sport. 30 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  15. "Crewe Alexandra 3-0 Harrogate Town". BBC Sport. 6 August 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  16. Baggaley, Michael (16 January 2023). "Arthur Okonkwo message to Crewe Alex as he leaves for Austria". Cheshire Live. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  17. "Arthur Okonkwo verstärkt das Tormann-Team". SK Sturm Graz (in Austrian German). 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  18. "SK Rapid - SK Puntigamer Sturm Graz". oefb.at (in German). Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  19. "A. Okonkwo - Profile with news, career statistics". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 2022-07-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. Mahawi, Osas, ed. (2018-09-21). "Nigeria's Interest In Luring Arsenal Teen Goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo From England Confirmed - OwnGoal Nigeria". Retrieved 2022-07-10.
  21. Yousif, Layth (2019-04-25). "Arsenal's highly-rated academy goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo on life at the Emirates". Football.London. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
  22. "Games played by Arthur Okonkwo in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
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