Nigeria’s Okonkwo signs long-term deal with Arsenal, joins first-team

Arthur Okonkwo, an academy goalkeeper at Arsenal FC, has agreed to a new long-term deal with his boyhood club.

The 19-year-old British-Nigerian has also been promoted to the club’s first-team squad.

The news was announced in a statement on the Gunners’ website on Friday.

“Arthur Okonkwo has signed a new long-term contract with the club and has joined the first-team squad,” the statement read.

“The 19-year-old goalkeeper, who has been with us since our under-9 level, signed as a scholar in July 2018. He impressed last season, regularly training with the first team and also travelling with the matchday squad as the third goalkeeper on numerous occasions during the campaign. He also made eight appearances at the youth level in the Premier League 2 and EFL Trophy.

“In 2018/19, Arthur made his Premier League 2 debut at just 17 years of age, before going on to win the under-18 Premier League South. During that season, he played between the two age groups, making 14 appearances across all competitions, keeping seven clean sheets in the process.”

After signing the deal, Okonkwo, born in London to Nigerian parents, expressed his excitement at the club’s level of trust in him.

He added that his eyes are fixed on becoming Arsenal’s first goalkeeper.

“It’s just surreal. To be from the academy to be able to come up to Colney, train, play in the under-18s, train, play in the under-23s and then move up and train with the first team, and then hopefully, one day, make my first-team debut… it’s a great feeling to be here,” he said.

“Then long term I look to do as well as I can with this promotion up to the first team, being the No 3 goalkeeper, and pushing on to be the No 1 goalkeeper one day and the only way I’ll be able to do that is by coming in and working hard every day, and that is my biggest ambition for the season.”