Arthur Chukwuezugo Okonkwo (born 9 September 2001) is an English professional football player who plays as a goalkeeper for EFL League Two club Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Premier League club Arsenal.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Arthur Chukwuezugo Okonkwo[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (2001-09-09) 9 September 2001 (age 21)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | London, England | ||
| Height | 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Crewe Alexandra (on loan from Arsenal) | ||
| Number | 13 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| – | Hampstead Academy | ||
| –2009 | Lindus Park | ||
| 2009–2021 | Arsenal | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021– | Arsenal | 0 | (0) |
| 2022– | → Crewe Alexandra (loan) | 16 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 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 3:58, 2 October 2022 (UTC) | |||
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.
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]
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, a 3–0 win over Harrogate Town at Gresty Road on 6 August 2022.[15]
Okonkwo represented England at under-16 and under-17 levels, then debuted for the under-18s two days before his birthday.[16] He remains eligible for Nigeria through his Nigerian descent.[6] Nigeria have reportedly been trying to use his eligibility to play for Nigeria, to get him to become a Super Eagle.[17]
An Arsenal academy graduate, Okonkwo has stated that Petr Cech and David De Gea influence his own goalkeeping style.[18][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".
Okonkwo was involved in the Amazon Original sports docuseries All or Nothing: Arsenal, which documented the club by spending time with the coaching staff and players behind the scenes both on and off the field throughout their 2021–22 season.[19][20]
| Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Arsenal U21 | 2020–21[8] | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021–22[9] | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Crewe Alexandra (loan) | 2022–23[21] | League Two | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Career total | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 0 | ||
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Crewe Alexandra F.C. – current squad | |
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