Arthur Okonkwo can take Mark Howard inspiration to fix his Wrexham AFC flaw | OneFootball

The one aspect of Arthur Okonkwo's game that's holding Wrexham back

For as excellent a shot-stopper as he’s been since joining Wrexham, Arthur Okonkwo’s been holding the side back in one particular area.

His recurring problem has prompted manager Phil Parkinson to put veteran Mark Howard in goal for their last three league contests.

With the 38-year-old between the sticks, the Red Dragons have won two of their previous three League One fixtures, while looking much better in transition. That has them sitting third in the table, five points behind Wycombe Wanderers in the race for automatic promotion.

Overall, few would put Howard above the former Arsenal academy product in many goalkeeping aspects. However, Okonkwo could learn a vital skill from the former League One runner-up when it comes to his distribution.

Arthur Okonkwo’s biggest strengths

When Ben Foster retired early in the 2023-24 League Two campaign, it left a void for the club between the sticks.

Arthur Okonkwo was brought in to fill that void and did so impressively, maintaining 16 clean sheets, 14 in League Two, while leading the competition in terms of save percentage (78.1%)

Meanwhile, he was second in the league last season in terms of goals prevented at 9.5, bested only by Crawley’s Corey Addai (15.8).

Okonkwo’s reflexes are among the strongest aspects of his game. He has always been an elite shot-stopper and has stolen plenty of matches for Wrexham.

In League One this season, his save percentage is 75.8%, which is good for third behind Josh Keeley and Ryan Allsopp.

Okonkwo’s kept nine clean sheets in the league, with three being 1–0 results. The London-born keeper has had to be sharp when called upon, and he’s shown few flaws in that area, aside from perhaps an uncharacteristic showing against Stevenage in late January's 3-1 defeat.

Okonkwo's distribution is holding him back

One of the reasons Phil Parkinson has turned to Howard in goal domestically of late is his ability to get the ball quickly to his teammates and accurately. That’s an area Okonkwo needs to work on, as the Red Dragons haven’t been nearly as strong on the counter when the 23-year-old has the ball.

As we witnessed in the victory over Northampton Town, Howard has been sharper with his long ball accuracy than Okonkwo, setting up the opening goal from Sam Smith.

If you look at that play again, you see Howard has plenty of time to make a decision. He looks up and sees Smith making a run down the middle. He makes the smart play and hits it long immediately, catching the Northampton defence napping.

What we saw Howard do at that moment is something we’ve rarely seen from Okonkwo, taking an extra second to survey the field, and who is where. It’s a fast game and being a quick transitional side is essential, but Okonkwo could benefit a lot from taking an extra second to see the field. After all, knowing where the ball is and all your players at all times is part of his job.

Howard’s long ball accuracy in League One this season is over 40% and Okonkwo is just over 38%. That may not seem like a massive difference, but it can make a huge difference late in matches. Several times this season the Red Dragons have been pushing for a late goal and needed some precise balls into the box to find a dramatic winner.

Okonkwo’s pass accuracy has constantly plagued him, and he lacks the precision his outfield players need to move the ball up the field quickly and catch the opposition napping.

He’s rarely been in the sweeper-keeper role, perhaps out of fear he may misfire on a clearance. When he does have more time to distribute the ball, though, he doesn’t often find the mark.

His distribution issues have relegated him to No.2, though few would believe Howard is the best keeper to call upon in a big game.

That said, if it weren’t for Callum Burton’s long-term injury, 'Parky' may have a tougher decision about whom this team’s first-choice keeper may be. We only saw a sample size of Burton, but his long-ball accuracy was still better than Okonkwo’s.

The good news is that the distribution game can be taught and improved for Okonkwo. Given that he’s locked up until the end of the 2026-27 campaign, it’s a sign the Wrexham coaching staff are committed to improving that part of his game.

Okonkwo isn’t the only goalkeeper past or present with poor distribution. In fact, it’s an area many top keepers never mastered, including one of his idols, David de Gea.

At the same time, Wrexham are a side that rarely have a ton of possession this season, so some improved distribution from Okonkwo would go a long way to making the Red Dragons a more dangerous attacking unit.