Goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo bids farewell to Arsenal with speculation over Wrexham return set to intensify

The English goalkeeper, who joined the Gunners' youth academy as an eight-year-old, has severed ties with the North London side after 15 years as his contract expired last month. Before leaving the club permanently, Okonkwo took to social media to post a heartfelt farewell message to his boyhood club.

On Instagram, the 22-year-old shared an old photograph of himself in an Arsenal shirt and wrote in the caption, "The time has come to say goodbye @arsenal. Having joined the Club in 2009 at 8 years old, I have so many incredible memories from over 15 years. I’ve made friends for life and owe so much to all the coaches I’ve worked with, teammates I’ve played with, fans who’ve supported me and everyone involved with the Club for helping me grow and develop into the person and player I am today. Arsenal will always be special to me and I hope to see them be successful in the coming years."

Okonkwo enjoyed a rich vein of form for Wrexham last season while on loan from the Premier League side. He appeared in 36 matches for the Red Dragons where he kept 14 clean sheets and played a key role in the club gaining promotion to League One.

The player has been strongly linked with a permanent move to Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's side this summer. The club have made it clear on multiple occasions in the past that they would love to have Okonwko back in the team ahead of the 2024/25 season.