Sports

Arsenal Keeper In Line For Player Of Month Award At Loan Club

Arsenal on-loan goalkeeper, Arthur Okonkwo, produced a match-winning performance on New Year’s day against Tranmere Rovers, and may have handed himself an early shot at winning the Player of the Month award at League Two side, Crewe Alexandria.

The young English keeper of Nigerian descent kept a clean sheet as his on-loan side won 1-0.

Crewe’s goalkeeping coach Fred Barber was elated with Okonkwo’s form this season for the Railway Men.

“The world is his oyster, he can be whatever he wants to be,” said Barber as quoted by Tribal Football.

“He is a good learner, a good listener, and he’s come on a lot.

“He’s got great physical attributes and he is talented, and he is prepared to work very hard to get better.”

Highlights of Okonkwo’s performance include making a brilliant save to push Kieron Morris’ shot from almost 25 yards out around for a corner.

Arsenal’s first choice goalkeeper is England international Aaron Ramsdale.

Ramsdale is deputised by USA international, Matt Turner. Both keepers were in their country’s 2022 FIFA World Cup squads on Qatar albeit only Turner played for his nation.

However, the battle for who becomes the third choice keeper at the Emirates stadium would likely be between the Anglo-Nigerian, Okonkwo and Karl Hein with pre-season form likely to play a part in Mikel Arteta and Edu’s transfer plans.

Arsenal will face Newcastle United Tuesday night in their first Premier League game of the year, 2023.

Izuchukwu Okosi

Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc. In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio. He worked there for 13 years until October 2017. Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch. He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations. Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ). He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line. Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.