The Super Eagles of Nigeria have added another goalkeeper option after FIFA approved Arthur Okonkwo’s switch of nationality.
Arthur Okonkwo, born to Nigerian parents in London, England, on September 9, 2001, began his football career at the Arsenal Academy.
The 22-year-old goalkeeper moved up to Arsenal’s senior team on July 1, 2021, but struggled to secure a spot in the starting lineup.
As a result, Okonkwo was loaned to Crewe Alexandra from July 29, 2022, to January 15, 2023, and then spent the second half of the 2022–2023 season on loan at Sturm Graz.
Since September 1, 2023, Okonkwo has been on loan at Wrexham AFC, a fourth-tier club, with plans to return to Arsenal at the end of the season.
Since then, the English-born goalkeeper has played in 26 matches for Wrexham, keeping 11 clean sheets.
Arthur Okonkwo has represented England in the under-15, under-16, under-17, and under-18 national teams, making a total of 11 appearances.
Now that FIFA has allowed Okonkwo to play for Nigeria, it remains to be seen if the NFF will call him up to the national team soon.
If he does get called up, the young player will be competing with Francis Uzoho and Stanley Nwabali for the starting goalkeeper position. Nwabali was the preferred choice over Uzoho for the national team during the 2023 AFCON.
