Few outgoing transfers have stirred the blood of Wrexham fans like Arthur Okonkwo’s loan to Charlton. His match-winning turn at the Olympic Stadium on his debut hardly doused the fire.
There’s a real sense of loss, leading to all sorts of wild suspicions. I’ve no inside knowledge on his departure, but I am confident that, as with virtually all conspiracy theories, the obvious explanation is the truth.
Aliens didn’t build the pyramids; Neil Armstrong did take a small step on the moon; the government is not hiding a colony of dinosaurs in a chamber within the spoil heap in Rhostyllen.
The only conspiracy theory I can verify is true is that Elvis isn’t dead. He’s alive and well and running ChatGPT from my garden shed.
The reason Okonkwo was allowed to leave – and surely he will when his contract expires next summer – is simple.
Phil Parkinson thought he could bring in a better goalkeeper.
I mean no disrespect to Okonkwo in stating it so baldly, and neither does Parkinson. He knows Okonkwo has been terrific for him.
He played a full part in two promotions and a tilt at the Premier League. Max Cleworth is the only other player in Wrexham’s history who can make that claim.
However, Parkinson is consistent in his squad-building. No matter how good a player is, no matter what they’ve done for us, if he can upgrade their position he will do so.
It’s ruthless, but even a project like Wrexham, couched as it is in genuine warmth, has no room for sentiment on the pitch. It’s a remarkable achievement by Parkinson to balance this with engendering a terrific atmosphere within the squad. Players arrive knowing the situation, embrace the positivity on and off the pitch, and accept that at some point they may be superseded.
So, why are fans so saddened? Once again, there’s an obvious immediate reason: the lad’s very good at his job.
There’s an intriguing secondary reason, though. “Welcome to Wrexham” has given us scope to fall in love with players as people rather than just footballers.
We get to see what they are like away from the pitch like never before: not through the lens of a post-match interview, but in their everyday lives.
It’s hard not to fall for Arthur, a charming, happy-go-lucky guy with a positivity to go with his tremendous talent.
We’ve seen him develop from a young talent to a regular Championship goalkeeper – only the third one we’ve ever had after Dai Davies and Eddie Niedzwiecki in the 1980s! – so it’s natural that we’ve developed an attachment to him.
Let’s remember, if we weren’t so ambitious, he’d probably have a place at the club for years. However, as we train our aim on promotion, we have to make difficult decisions.
Also remember that we have an experienced international goalkeeper on the books in Danny Ward, who was denied the chance to shine by a horrible injury last season.
Throw in Callum Burton, who has shone when given the opportunity and might have established himself as first choice two seasons ago if a freak injury hadn’t halted him, and we simply have too many good goalkeepers. Somebody had to give.
The reaction to Okonkwo’s departure is hardly a great way to greet a major new signing, but that’s what Anthony Patterson has arrived to.
Thankfully, he’s an experienced goalkeeper despite being just a year older than Okonkwo and very unfortunate not to have been Sunderland’s first choice goalkeeper in the Premier League last season.
He did more than any other individual in the play-offs which catapulted them up from League One to the top tier, shining in penalty shoot-outs in them both.
However, The Black Cats were ruthless last summer, upgrading their squad extensively after two promotions. Qualification for Europe vindicated that approach.
A young goalkeeper who has done his club proud, marginalised by the swift elevation he contributed to. Sounds familiar!
Patterson brings an air of security, his powerfully-built frame perfect for coming into a crowded penalty area to claim the ball.
We were vulnerable to set pieces last season: that’s not a criticism of Okonkwo as there are lots of moving pieces in such a situation, but Parkinson clearly thought that introducing such an imposing keeper would be a step towards addressing the issue. The assuredness with which Patterson handled a series of corners on his debut illustrated Parkinson’s thinking perfectly.
Parkinson knows Patterson, having given him his debut at Sunderland, which has to help his confidence in making such a bold move.
None of the reasons behind his thinking is a slight to Okonkwo. Charlton have obtained their own massive upgrade in goal, and he will go on to have a stellar career. I’ve no doubt about that.
The romantic in me hopes that one day he might return and show his development in a Wrexham shirt again. It’s the sort of fairy tale we’ve come to expect in Wrexham.
However, the realist in me wishes him well, but appreciates that the key constant in this story is a man whose decision-making has taken us this far. Parky knows, you know.
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