Arthur Okonkwo shirt number swap? Wrexham goalkeeper hints at dropping 33 in ‘nice’ admission after rejoining Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney’s project in North Wales

Arthur Okonkwo has hinted that a shirt number swap may be on the cards, with the Wrexham goalkeeper having worn 33 during his productive loan spell.

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WHAT HAPPENED?
The 22-year-old starred for the Red Dragons in 2023-24 after being drafted in from Arsenal to help counter the loss of ex-England international Ben Foster to retirement. Despite suffering a badly broken jaw at one stage, Okonkwo helped the Welsh outfit to automatic promotion out of League Two.

THE BIGGER PICTURE
Questions were asked of whether Wrexham could lure Okonkwo back to SToK Racecourse, with even the riches of Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney potentially not enough to land a man that was severing ties with Premier League giants as a free agent.
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WHAT OKONKWO SAID
Okonkwo is, however, back in North Wales on a three-year contract and looking forward to the 2024-25 campaign. He may have a different squad number to fill heading forward, with there no guarantee that he will stick with 33. Okonkwo told Wrexham’s official YouTube channel after seeing head of medical Kevin Mulholland point out that he had a “good season” in that shirt: “Yeah, but… number one is nice. I don’t know, I’ll have a think about it.”

WHAT NEXT?
The No.1 spot in Phil Parkinson’s squad is up for grabs following the release of Rob Lainton. Okonkwo would be the obvious choice to take on that jersey, with the towering shot-stopper having kept 16 clean sheets through 40 appearances in all competitions last season.

WHAT HAPPENED?