Having impressed with the Gunners’ youth group, {the teenager} has now progressed to the membership’s senior squadArthur Okonkwo has been promoted to Arsenal’s first group; the English Premier League membership has confirmed.
The 19-year-old goalkeeper joined the likes membership’s senior group after signing a long-term contract with the Emirates Stadium giants.
Okonkwo has been with the Gunners as an under-9 participant earlier than he was signed as a scholar in July 2018. Editors’ Picks
In the 2020-21 marketing campaign, he educated with the primary group recurrently and likewise travelled with the squad as a 3rd selection goalie.
Club’s supervisor Mikel Arteta is worked up to see {the teenager} be part of his group and is wanting ahead to seeing him develop and enhance his goalkeeping.
“We welcome Arthur to the first-team squad. We are so completely satisfied one other academy participant has come by way of our system on the membership,” the Spaniard advised the membership web site.
“Together with Arthur’s big expertise and onerous work, we thank our colleagues on the academy for growing Arthur in recent times to get to this stage, they’re doing nice work with the gamers’ growth right here and must be actually proud.
“Arthur was working and travelling quite a bit with the primary group final season and we now have all seen his high quality at first hand.
“He is a robust younger goalkeeper with nice potential and we’re so happy he has signed a brand new deal. He has completely earned his place within the first-team squad.
“Arthur will now be part of us each single day in coaching, the place we glance ahead to watching him proceed to develop and enhance his goalkeeping.
“I do know all our followers will be part of me in congratulating Arthur on this constructive step in his profession.”
This sentiment was additionally echoed by Arsenal’s technical director and former Brazil worldwide, Edu.
“The work of our academy and growth of younger gamers for the primary group is a big a part of what we stand for as a membership,” he mentioned.
“They have produced some prime gamers in recent times all of who’ve a particular reference to the membership and our followers.
“It’s nice that we now have our third goalkeeper who has progressed from our academy and we glance ahead to seeing extra younger gamers coming by way of. Arthur has labored onerous to get this far and we’re assured he’ll have an thrilling future.”
Okonkwo will put on jersey quantity 33 for the 2021-22 marketing campaign as he can be hoping to rival Runar Alex Runarsson and Bernd Leno for a spot within the beginning XI.
Born in London to Nigerian mother and father, he’s eligible to symbolize the Super Eagles at senior degree regardless of enjoying for England at U16, 17, and U18 ranges.
https://www.aim.com/en-gb/information/arthur-okonkwo-nigerian-goalkeeper-promoted-to-arsenal-first/17s38o0aw73i1qcyfdvqwmq75
