IT’S a case of start as you mean to go on as far as Arthur Okonkwo is concerned after returning for pre-season training with Wrexham yesterday.
The goalkeeper, who spent the majority of the 2023-24 campaign on loan at The Racecourse from Arsenal, has re-joined the Reds on a three-year contract following his release by the Premier League giants.
Phil Parkinson was keen to keep Okonkwo after he helped Wrexham finish runners-up in League Two, securing a second promotion in a row for the first time in the club’s history, and the 22-year-old is on board for the Reds’ first season in League One since 2004-05.
Okonkwo is under no illusion that it will be much more tougher in the third tier but the stopper says preparations in pre-season will be key for when the action gets under way with an opening day home game against Wycombe Wanderers on August 10.
“It all starts from pre-season,” said Okonkwo, who made 40 appearances in all competitions last term and kept 16 clean sheets,
The team will come together again and starting from day one, we need to get ready to be in League One to compete because it is going to be really difficult.
“There are some great teams in this league and it is not going to be easy at all.
“But I am sure with the team we have and with the gaffer, we will be ready to compete.”
Okonkwo became Parkinson’s first new addition of the summer, re-joining Wrexham despite attracting interest from other clubs following a string of excellent performances that earned him a place in the League Two Team of the Season along with Reds’ team-mate Elliot Lee.
Mark Howard, who has agreed a new deal, and youngsters Liam McNicholas and Liam Hall are the other goalkeepers available to Parkinson going into the 2024-25 season.
