Arthur Okonkwo joined Championship side Charlton Athletic on a season-long loan

NIGERIAN goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo has joined English Championship side Charlton Athletic on a season-long loan from rivals Wrexham ending speculation about his future after his former club signed Sunderland shot stopper Anthony Patterson for £8m.

Okonkwo, 24, started out his Wrexham career as a loanee but joined them permanently in June 2024 after helping the Red Dragons earn promotion to League One. He then helped the club secure back-to-back promotions with a second-place finish in 2024/25, before narrowly missing out on the Championship play-offs last season.

Born in Camden, Okonkwo began his professional career with Arsenal and progressed through the ranks to sign his first senior contract with the Gunners in the summer of the 2021. At international level, Okonkwo has two Nigeria caps to his name having made his debut during their Unity Cup success at The Valley last summer.

Okonkwo said: "I’m happy to be here and I’m ready to go. Coming here, it’s another season where I really want to do well and improve again. Speaking to the manager, that’s what he wants me to do here - not only to do well, but to improve as a goalkeeper.

Charlton manager Nathan Jones added: "I’m delighted to bring Arthur to the club. We know how good a goalkeeper he is - he made two world class saves against us last season, one in each game we played against Wrexham.

"He also showed a real desire to come to us after our initial meeting, which was important for us. He’s an excellent shot stopper, of good pedigree, with good experience and the teams he’s played in have done well, so I'm looking forward to working with him.”

Charlton managing director James Rodwell added: “We’re delighted to secure Arthur’s signing. We’ve worked hard to strengthen the squad with quality, experience and depth this summer and Arthur is a further reflection of the calibre of player we’re attracting during our second season back in the Championship."

Okonkwo has made a total of 121 appearances for Wrexham to date, keeping 46 clean sheets and was named in the 2023/24 English Football League Two Team of the Season. Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson, said: “This loan is a good opportunity for Arthur to go and continue his development down at Charlton.

“He's another player who's played a significant role for us over the last few years and we'll be watching his progress closely. All at Wrexham AFC would like to wish Arthur well for the coming season."