Wrexham's ex-Arsenal goalkeeper gets warning from David Raya - 'It's so much different'

Wales Online

03-06-2025

Wrexham's ex-Arsenal goalkeeper gets warning from David Raya - 'It's so much different'
Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya has outlined the difficulty of life in the Championship as Wrexham prepare to play in the second tier for the first time in 43 years
Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya has spoken about the brutality of playing in the Championship ahead of Wrexham's next campaign
(Image: Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images )
David Raya has issued a warning which former Arsenal goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo would do well to heed ahead of Wrexham's Championship campaign next season.
Okonkwo made his name after rising up through the Gunners' academy during his youth career. He made his first senior appearances on loan at Crewe Alexandra in League Two during the 2022/23 season and also spent time in Austria with Sturm Graz.
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The talented shot-stopper then joined Wrexham on loan from Arsenal in September 2023 and impressed as Phil Parkinson's side secured automatic promotion from the fourth tier. Okonkwo then signed permanently for the North Wales outfit, owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney last summer.
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The 23-year-old was a key part of the team that achieved a third successive promotion from League One in April, recording 19 clean sheets during the 2024/25 campaign. However, current Arsenal No. 1 Raya has now cautioned over the difficulty of playing in the Championship after describing it as being tougher for keepers than even the Premier League.
The Spanish international knows those challenges only too well after starring in the second tier with Blackburn Rovers and Brentford. Raya discussed the mental and physical tests while appearing on the Fozcast podcast, hosted by ex-Wrexham and Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster.
"It's so much different [playing in the Championship] and you get kicked everywhere," he said. "Every throw-in is going into the six-yard box, with eight or nine monsters just going straight into you. Obviously in the Premier League there are more quality players but when it gets to physicality, there's a lot more games [in the Championship] as well.
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Former Arsenal goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo has played a big role in Wrexham's recent success
(Image: Ben)
"That mental and physical side of playing Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday for the whole season is so, so tough and it's one of the hardest leagues in the world."
Foster, who played for Wrexham over two spells and helped them win the National League title in 2023, backed Raya's frank assessment of playing in the Championship.
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The former England international said: "I totally agree. I think, as a goalkeeper, playing in the Championship is harder than playing in the Premier League. You need to have more about you. You've got to be physically stronger and physicality comes into it a lot more in the Championship.
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"If you go further down the leagues into the National League, League Two, even League One, I think there's Premier League goalkeepers right now that would not be able to play in those leagues. Even in the Championship, I think you've got to be more rounded to survive."
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Okonkwo's experience with Wrexham in the lower divisions of the EFL should stand him in good stead for the next level. He has quickly become a fan favourite at the club and features regularly in the Welcome to Wrexham docuseries.
While his surroundings are now very familiar after helping his team win two promotions, Okonwko recently admitted that it wasn't always that way when he first joined Wrexham.
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Speaking on the Amanpour and Company TV series on PBS, he said: "When my agents told me about the opportunity, I did have to search 'where is Wrexham' and that's me being honest. I knew they were in the EFL and I knew a bit about the club, but I didn't know how well they were doing.
"The owners are so well known and when they're calling you, it still feels surreal. It's all been an interesting, and slightly weird, journey.
"I always knew that Wrexham was the right move for me [last summer]. The fans wanted me back, the players wanted me back and they couldn't tell me any more."