Ex-Arsenal youngster “getting better and better” | OneFootball

Arthur Okonkwo continues to justify Wrexham’s faith in him after another outstanding performance earned his side a point in a goalless draw at Portsmouth.

Photo by Charlotte Tattersall/Getty Images

The former Arsenal goalkeeper, once regarded as one of the most promising graduates of Hale End, made seven crucial saves as Phil Parkinson’s team extended their unbeaten run to four matches as he was named Player of the Match.

Portsmouth, the Championship’s lowest scorers, dominated much of the contest, but Okonkwo stood firm, producing a full-stretch stop to deny Josh Murphy and a superb reaction save on the line from Ibane Bowat.

Parkinson was full of praise for his goalkeeper after the match, saying: “Arthur was brilliant. I’m so pleased for the big fella. He’s getting better and better each week. He’s been on this journey with us and is adapting all the time and that was a really good performance from him tonight.

“He can be very pleased with his clean sheet.”

Photo via Arete on Twitter

On top of Okonkwo’s excellence, Wrexham could have taken all three points when Lewis O’Brien fired straight at Josef Bursik when clean through on goal.

The result leaves Parkinson’s side in 14th, with only one defeat in their last nine league games, although they have also drawn five of those.

For 20th-placed Portsmouth, it was another frustrating evening.

Head coach John Mousinho acknowledged his side’s improved display after a 4-0 loss to Birmingham City, saying: “We created more than enough in the second half to win the game. We gave ourselves a foothold but we couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net. That was the big thing that was missing tonight.

“I thought there were some brilliant saves in there – the one which he made down to his right from Josh Murphy and from Ibane’s header. On another night you think you have to bury those chances. It was a combination of their goalkeeper being on form and us not testing him quite enough.”

Photo via Arsenal.com

Okonkwo’s rise has been steady and hard-earned. After more than a decade at Arsenal, where he signed his first professional contract in 2021 and regularly trained with the senior squad, he left on a free transfer in June 2024 to join Wrexham permanently.

His time in North London included loan spells at Crewe Alexandra and Sturm Graz, where he won the Austrian Cup, before moving to Wrexham on loan before his permanent move. He has kept 39 cleansheets in 90 games.

Now 24, the London-born goalkeeper remains eligible for Nigeria internationally, despite having previously played for England at youth level.

Photo via West Brom on Twitter

His 19-year-old younger brother Brian Okonkwo, also a former Arsenal academy product, now plays for West Bromwich Albion’s Under-21 side after converting from a striker to a goalkeeper before leaving the Gunners.