Arsenal have already confirmed that three players will depart the club at the end of their contracts this summer, with no plans to include them in the squad next season.
First-team players Mohamed Elneny and Cedric Soares have confirmed their exits, with Elneny sending the fans an emotional message as he departs as Arsenal’s longest-serving player.
A young talent who was fairly close to the first team has also announced his impending departure, as goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo will now leave.
The 22-year-old performed superbly on loan at League Two side Wrexham this season, helping them secure promotion for the second season in a row, but this was not enough to earn him any further opportunities with Arsenal.
Wrexham co-owner and Hollywood superstar Rob McElhenney has now praised the goalkeeper, who he claims is capable of performing in the Premier League.
Rob McElhenney praises Arsenal starlet Arthur Okonkwo ahead of exit
In the Welcome To Wrexham documentary series, via GOAL, actor McElhenney praised Okonkwo’s ability, and expressed his delight that Wrexham were able to sign such a talent because of his lack of pathway to opportunities at Arsenal, but highlighted the difficulties clubs at his level face when signing talents from bigger teams.
“He’s a Premier League level keeper who just happens to be young and doesn’t have a place on the Arsenal squad yet,” he stated.
“It would be as if it’s 1985 and the Chicago Bulls drafted Michael Jordan and they are like ‘Well you’re a 20-year-old kid’. Then the Philadelphia 76ers were like ‘Hey, guess what Chicago? We will just take him off your hands for like two or three years and then we’ll just build him up because he can start with us and we can send him back to you.’
“Then he comes to Philly, wins like three championships and they’re like ‘Great, we’re gonna start a dynasty’ but then Chicago are like ‘we’re taking him back’. That’s exactly what it is!”
Arthur Okonkwo’s impressive Wrexham loan spell
Wrexham want to keep Okonkwo ahead of their League One campaign, given the fine job he did on loan, but they know that they may face a problem over wages.
They were paying half of his Arsenal salary, but now that he will be a free agent, they may have to pay more, and there may be further interest in him.
READ MORE: All Mikel Arteta signings at Arsenal ranked from worst to best
Okonkwo conceded 35 goals in 40 games for Wrexham, keeping 16 clean sheets, as he overtook goalkeeping duties from Ben Foster, who retired earlier this season.
Promotion to League One is the second trophy Okonkwo has won, having secured an Austrian Cup whilst on loan at Sturm Graz last year, where striker Mika Biereth has been thriving since January.