Former Gunner insists it was right choice to leave last summer | OneFootball

Arthur Okonkwo has insisted that leaving Arsenal for Wrexham last summer was the right decision for him, after achieving promotion to the Championship.

Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images

In late April, Wrexham secured their second consecutive promotion, finishing second in League One to step up to the Championship in 2025/26.

Former Arsenal academy goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo was a big part of that promotion push, keeping 20 clean sheets in 37 games – with 19 of those coming in the league.

That figure likely would have been higher if not for a wrist fracture in November, ruling the player out for over a month.

Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images

Reflecting on his decision to make his loan spell with Wrexham permanent, leaving Arsenal after many years with the club, Okonkwo suggested he made the correct choice.

“It was definitely the right move and I’m extremely happy,” Okonkwo said. “When I spoke to the gaffer last summer before I joined, straight away I knew that this was the right move.

“The manager had a plan, he said he wanted to go and do it again, and I signed. I have belief in the manager and the decisions he’s made and the players he brought in.

“As much as [promotion is] a surprise to people, it’s not the biggest surprise for me. I knew that we were going to compete this season. I said from the beginning that I had high hopes for us getting promotion.

“I never had any doubt and there is so much relief and one of the best feelings knowing that we’ve done it.”

Photo via WrexhamAFC.co.uk

Okonkwo took a few games to really hit form after his wrist injury, dropping to the bench for a little while in February.

But the goalkeeper really bounced back after that, winning the Fans’ League One Player of the Month award for March with six clean sheets in seven games.

That was just the right time to hit form. Wrexham only pushed up into the automatic promotion places in April, after spending most of the early parts of 2025 in third or fourth.

Yet they ultimately ended up five-points clear of third, and they’re set for involvement in the English second tier next season.