Goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo has arrived on loan from Wrexham to become Charlton’s eighth signing of the summer.
His arrival follows rumours of an exit for Thomas Kaminski, with Nathan Jones saying last week that even Tiernan Brooks (sorry Tiernan) is ahead of the Belgian in the pecking order.
Okonkwo is a Nigerian international who made his Valley debut for his national side during this year's Unity Cup. The 24 year old was born in Camden and started his career at Arsenal and often played above the age group he was eligible for, making his U23 debut at just 17. Charlton’s new signing started the 2022/23 season on loan at Crewe Alexandra, keeping 10 clean sheets across 26 league appearances. He was recalled in the January window and sent to Austrian top tier side Strum Graz. 4 clean sheets followed in 15 Bundesliga appearances, helping his side to finish second in the division.
The shot stopper's next destination was Wrexham, initially on loan before signing permanently in 2024. He has made 121 league appearances for the North Wales outfit, conceding 127 goals and keeping 47 clean sheets. Charlton fans will remember some spectacular saves against us in the last couple of years, Okonkwo always seemed to save his best performances for The Addicks. Generally, he is a better stopper of shots than Kaminski but that isn’t to say he’s great. Goals prevented is a stat based on the ratio of goals conceded to the expected number of goals based on the quality of shots. Both keepers measured a negative figure last season, the new boy conceding 1.8 more goals than he should have with Kaminski conceding 6.3 more goals than expected. The two keepers also have a similar save percentage, hovering around 68% but Okonkwo is more confident when it comes to high claims even if his per 90 stats were not as impressive as Mannion.
Okonkwo is probably an upgrade on what we currently have and at 24 he still has plenty of time to develop. His contract runs out at the end of the season so he might be able to sign on a free transfer in the summer. He does have an error in him but most keepers do and there is a feeling he’s been harshly treated at Wrexham. There’s a lot to like about the new signing and he will make some exceptional saves but he will also make mistakes. Lets hope The Valley faithful don’t get on his back too much.
We think he might be our first Arthur since Horsfield. Is that correct?