Arsenal will reportedly look to loan out U-23 goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo for the season with the club eager for the youngster to gain first-team experience away from north London.
According to the Athletic, the Gunners are open to Okonkwo going out on loan with Karl Hein set to remain with Arsenal following a spell out through injury, with Bernd Leno another goalkeeper who is reportedly set to leave the Emirates Stadium as Fulham close in on signing the German international.
As per the report, a goalkeeping reshuffle is somewhat afoot this summer at Arsenal, with Matt Turner joining from the New England Revolution to act as Aaron Ramsdale’s deputy whilst the aforementioned Leno and Alex Runarsson are set to leave on permanent deals, with Okonkwo now heading for a loan move for the season.
The 20-year-old shot-stopper is highly regarded at Arsenal with Mikel Arteta believed to be a big fan of the London-born talent, with Manchester City youth coach Brian Barry-Murphy labelling Okonkwo as ‘really incredible’ during a 2-2 draw against the Gunners in Premier League 2 last season.
With Ramsdale only 24 and Turner an experienced backup in the prime of his career, it makes sense for Okonkwo to leave Arsenal for the year on loan, especially with Hein another quality youth talent who could challenge the Hale End graduate for the number-three spot in the senior squad.
Indeed, at 20, Okonkwo should be starting to play regular football at senior level, and with a loan move now on the cards, the Arsenal talent should be pushing hard to secure a temporary switch for the season to gain some valuable experience away from north London.
Arsenal will be making a smart decision letting Okonkwo leave on loan
Going out on loan at this stage of your career is arguably the most important step for any young player’s development, and Arsenal need to be smart in not only where Okonkwo joins for the season but what coaches will be there to help the youngster improve his game.
After all, we saw last season with William Saliba how the perfect environment can help a player develop massively over a single year, and Okonkwo could experience something similar if Arsenal make the right decisions in the process of shipping out the goalkeeper for the year.
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