Wrexham have taken to social media to congratulate goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo after receiving his first senior Super Eagles call-up, with the 24-year-old included in Eric Chelle’s squad for this summer’s Unity Cup in London.
The Championship club on Wednesday issued an official statement congratulating the goalkeeper on the milestone, which comes after FIFA cleared him to represent Nigeria in April.
“Congratulations to Arthur Okonkwo on receiving his first call up to the Nigeria squad ahead of the Unity Cup,” the club wrote on X.
Okonkwo had previously represented England at youth level from the Under-15 to Under-18 stages, but remained eligible for Nigeria through his parents.
Nigeria begin their Unity Cup campaign against Zimbabwe at The Valley on May 26, before the final and third-place match on May 30. Jamaica and India will contest the other semi-final.
After the London tournament, the Super Eagles travel to Warsaw for a friendly against Poland on June 3 and end their camp with a fixture against Portugal in Leiria on June 10.
Okonkwo, who stands at 6ft 6in, joined Wrexham permanently in 2024 after leaving Arsenal and has since become one of the key figures in the Welsh club’s rapid rise through the English leagues. He played 39 league matches in the 2025/26 season as Wrexham established themselves in the Championship, producing a series of important saves throughout a demanding campaign.
The London-born goalkeeper joined Arsenal’s Hale End academy at the age of eight and signed his first professional contract in 2021. First-team opportunities proved elusive at the Emirates Stadium, leading to loan spells at Crewe Alexandra and Austrian side Sturm Graz before Wrexham signed him in September 2023 following the retirement of veteran goalkeeper Ben Foster.
The Super Eagles have long sought stability in goal, with Stanley Nwabali currently holding the number one shirt and Maduka Okoye also in contention. Okonkwo’s arrival adds further competition and gives Chelle options as Nigeria prepare for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Before his call-up, Okonkwo spoke about his anticipation of joining the squad and singled out Samuel Chukwueze as the player he was most looking forward to meeting.
“If I was going to choose someone on the team, it would be Chukwueze because he seems mad and funny. I don’t know him personally, but I know he will be good vibes. I like it on the bus when you have someone who doesn’t stop talking,” he told the Super Eagles media team.
However, Chelle has confirmed that senior players will not feature at the Unity Cup, meaning Okonkwo will have to wait to meet his new teammates. Nigeria won the invitational tournament last year, beating Ghana and Jamaica.
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