Wrexham have publicly celebrated Arthur Okonkwo after the goalkeeper earned his maiden senior invitation to the Super Eagles squad for this year’s Unity Cup in London.
The Championship side shared a congratulatory message on Wednesday shortly after Eric Chelle named the 24-year-old in Nigeria’s squad list. The invitation follows FIFA’s approval in April allowing Okonkwo to officially switch allegiance to Nigeria.
In a post on X, Wrexham praised the shot-stopper for reaching a major milestone in his career by securing his first call-up to the Nigerian national team ahead of the Unity Cup tournament.
Although born in London, Okonkwo qualified to play for Nigeria through his family background. He had earlier featured for England at youth levels between the Under-15 and Under-18 categories before deciding to represent the Super Eagles.
Nigeria will begin their Unity Cup journey against Zimbabwe at The Valley on May 26. The competition will conclude with the final and third-place matches on May 30, while Jamaica and India face each other in the second semi-final.
Following the tournament in England, the Super Eagles are expected to continue preparations with friendly matches against Poland in Warsaw on June 3 and Portugal in Leiria on June 10.
Standing at 6ft 6in, Okonkwo has become an important figure at Wrexham since completing a permanent move from Arsenal in 2024. During the 2025/26 Championship campaign, he featured in 39 league games and delivered several standout performances that helped the Welsh club maintain their progress in the English football system.
The goalkeeper started his football journey at Arsenal’s Hale End academy when he was eight years old and later signed a professional deal in 2021. With limited chances in Arsenal’s senior side, he spent time on loan at Crewe Alexandra and Austrian outfit Sturm Graz before joining Wrexham in September 2023 after veteran goalkeeper Ben Foster retired.
Nigeria have continued searching for consistency in the goalkeeping department, with Stanley Nwabali currently first choice and Maduka Okoye also competing for a starting role. Okonkwo’s inclusion gives Chelle another strong option ahead of preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Before being named in the squad, Okonkwo revealed his excitement about joining the Super Eagles camp and mentioned Samuel Chukwueze as one player he was eager to meet because of his lively personality and sense of humour.
However, Chelle later disclosed that experienced senior players would not take part in the Unity Cup, meaning the goalkeeper may have to wait longer before linking up with some established stars in the team. Nigeria lifted the trophy in the previous edition after victories over Ghana and Jamaica.
