Arsenal have just confirmed that 19-year-old goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo has signed a new long-term contract at the club.
The talented shot-stopper’s future was up in the air for a while, but Arsenal always seemed confident that they could get this deal done. Okonkwo is highly rated behind the scenes, and he has been promoted to the first team now.
Many view the youngster as our future number one, and Edu and Arteta are beyond excited to see him develop with the senior squad next season.
Arteta: Huge talent Arthur Okonkwo has absolutely earned his new Arsenal contract
Technical director Edu said about Okonkwo: “It’s great that we have our third goalkeeper who has progressed from our academy and we look forward to seeing more young players coming through. Arthur has worked hard to get this far and we’re confident he’ll have an exciting future.” (Arsenal.com)
Arteta added: “We welcome Arthur to the first-team squad. We are so happy another academy player has come through our system at the club. Together with Arthur’s huge talent and hard work, we thank our colleagues at the academy for developing Arthur in recent years to get to this stage.
“Arthur was working and travelling a lot with the first team last season and we have all seen his quality at first hand. He is a strong young goalkeeper with great potential and we’re so pleased he has signed a new deal. He has absolutely earned his place in the first-team squad.
“Arthur will now join us every single day in training, where we look forward to watching him continue to develop and improve his goalkeeping. I know all our fans will join me in congratulating Arthur on this positive step in his career.” (Arsenal.com)
The Insider’s View:
With Bernd Leno and Runar Alex Runarsson’s futures up in the air, Arsenal are on the market looking for at least one new goalkeeper. Okonkwo will be with the senior squad next season, but it’s unlikely that we will see him make his debut.
Arsenal will not be in Europe next term and Arteta has always been hesitant to rotate his keepers. However, if we draw a lower league side in the League Cup, the youngster could potentially get his chance.
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Even if he fails to get the nod, spending time with the first team will be incredible for him. He will learn so much, and that experience will surely help him become an excellent player for us in the years to come.
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