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Wrexham keeper Arthur loves pre-match engagement with fans

Wrexham keeper Arthur loves pre-match engagement with fans

Leader Live12-06-2025
Okonkwo has become a real fans' favourite during his two seasons at The Racecourse and he is now preparing to make the step-up with the Reds to the Championship.
The goalkeeper originally joined Wrexham on loan from Premier League giants Arsenal during the opening stages of the 2023-24 League Two campaign and he has fully embraced the pre-match interactions he has with supporters.
Okonkwo told Amanpour and Company: 'I've seen both sides to it. I was at Arsenal and the season I had with the first team, you were literally escorted everywhere you're going.
'You don't see the fans. We have security everywhere and I think that's a special thing that's at Wrexham at the moment.
'You know, you come in before every game, we sign everyone's stuff and, you know, you feel good about it.
'It's really special to be able to engage with the fans before the game and that's something you don't really get, obviously, higher up the levels and... I hope it stays like that.
'Being able to engage with fans as much as we can, it's always a special feeling.'
Two other fan favourites - Steven Fletcher and Mark Howard - have departed the club following the League One promotion-winning campaign and executive director Humphrey Ker says bidding farewell to players is tough to do.
He said: 'Really, the cruellest irony of this whole thing is that the success that these players deliver for the club creates a huge challenge for them, in terms of their ability to continue with the club as it goes up through the levels.
'With Arthur, he's a young player, he's got unbelievable potential. He's already a fantastic player.
'So, he's someone that, I think has a very long future with the club if he so chooses and if we can hold on to him, you know, if he doesn't go and get signed by Real Madrid!
'This summer, we said goodbye to, in particular, Steven Fletcher and Mark Howard.
'Chomp, as he's known, Mark Howard is someone whose been with us from the National League all the way up. He's had three promotions in a row.
'Fletch has had two promotions with us and they're not only fantastic players, but they're great people.
'I mean, a huge basis of the success that we've enjoyed as a club has been the quality of not only the player, but the person that the manager's been able to bring in and it's brutal.
'It's really, really tough. I mean, it's such a tight-knit group. It's such an incredible dressing room.
'That character is really the most valuable thing that we've been able to unearth. The individual players, great players, great value in terms of transfer fees and wages, and all that sort of stuff.
'But, actually, the thing that has delivered three successive promotions, that starts with the people, the characters, the personalities.
'So, yes, saying goodbye to those people is very hard. It's very hard.'
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Will Eberechi Eze play for Crystal Palace tonight before Arsenal transfer?
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Eberechi Eze transfer: William Gallas reveals real reason England star prefers Arsenal over Spurs
Eberechi Eze transfer: William Gallas reveals real reason England star prefers Arsenal over Spurs

Daily Mirror

time28 minutes ago

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Eberechi Eze is set to sign for Arsenal after hijacking Tottenham's move for the Crystal Palace star and William Gallas has now spoken out over the England star's decision William Gallas claims Eberechi Eze snubbed Tottenham because he has a better chance of winning trophies with Arsenal. Former France defender Gallas crossed the North London divide as he played for both clubs in his career and says the Gunners are still more likely to get their hands on silverware in the future. ‌ Gallas captained Arsenal during four years at the Emirates and then went to Tottenham which made him pretty unpopular but he is still not afraid to speak his mind. ‌ Ex-Chelsea centre half Gallas says Eze would have balanced getting more regular games at Spurs against a better guarantee of success with Arsenal. ‌ Arsenal showed an interest in Eze at the start of the window but Tottenham were in the driving seat until the Gunners' late intervention as they snatched him at the 11th hour. Eze, 27, is a boyhood Arsenal fan and had no hesitation when they came calling as he turned his back on a move to Tottenham who were offering the same terms as Crystal Palace. Gallas actually says that it is more about ambition than emotion when it comes to transfers and claims that he may not play as much at Arsenal but they are still the bigger club. Gallas told betting website Gambling Zone: 'It's always the same question in this situation. What does the player really want? You know, he will try to see what is in the best interest for himself. It'll be about money. It will be about if he will have enough time, enough minutes to play. 'If you're Eze, you don't want to go from Crystal Palace, where you were the main guy, to move to one of the biggest clubs if you're not going to play much. You don't want to join a club and become frustrated with your minutes. ‌ 'Eze will try to find the best solution for himself. Even if Spurs won the Europa League last year, you probably have more chances to win things at Arsenal over the next few years. 'Arsenal got close to winning the Champions League last year, but then they came up against Paris Saint-Germain and made a mistake - they didn't take their chances and were punished. So it really depends on how he sees his career. Does he want to play every week or does he want to get his hands on more trophies?' ‌ Tottenham did win the Europa League last season which got them a passport into the Champions League for this coming year. Arsenal have won just one trophy under Mikel Arteta but reached the Champions League semi finals, have finished runners-up in the last three seasons and clearly have convinced Eze about their ambition an ability to win again.

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