ARTHUR OKONKWO faces Chelsea on Saturday with Blues legend Petr Cech’s pearls of wisdom ringing in his ears.
The Wrexham keeper worked with Cech as an Arsenal kid when Arsene Wenger allowed him to train with the first team.
Okonkwo, 24, said: “Petr was huge for me when I was a kid. He was so experienced and taught me about staying calm and relaxed.
“He’d tell me not to go overthinking things. I kept dropping the ball and he’d say, ‘I bet if you were in the academy, you’d catch that. Don’t think you must do it a certain way, just stay relaxed’.
“It’s the best advice I’ve ever received and that’s what I do to this day.”
Okonkwo also owes Mikel Arteta. The Spaniard promoted him to the first-team squad, aged 19, and provided his first senior contract.
The keeper made the bench for both legs of Arsenal’s Europa League semi-final against Villarreal in 2021 — plus seven Premier League games in the 2021-22m campaign.
He said: “Mikel was amazing for me. He pushed heavily for me to be promoted at that young age. After my mistakes, he was always there for me and pushed me.
“That’s why he’s such a good boss. He’s so passionate. He wanted to make everyone better. It really doesn’t surprise me how well Arsenal are doing this season.”
Arteta gave Okonkwo his debut in a July 2021 friendly with Hibs. The keeper dropped a clanger, misjudging a Cedric Soares backpass to allow a goal in a 2-1 loss. Many would want the ground to swallow them up.
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS
Yet Okonkwo said: “You’re going to make mistakes — and as a youngster a lot of them.
“But I’d already learned by then that it’s how you react that matters. I don’t care if I make a mistake now. I move on and refocus. It’s important to make those mistakes as if you don’t, you will do when it really matters.
“Having that first taste of pro football at Arsenal and being around the players, seeing how they live and train, was an education.
“I was lucky to experience that at a young age. It was an important stage of my career.”
Okonkwo recalls Wenger allowing him to train with the first team in his mid-teens.
He said: “It was an unbelievable experience to meet Arsene. He had a really big presence and everyone respected him.
“When he talked, you’d listen. He had such a strong connection with the young players. Arsenal is good at that.
“To be training with the first team at the age of 15 or 16, that doesn’t happen everywhere.”
Okonkwo hopes to mirror Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez’s trajectory. The Spaniard progressed through Brighton’s academy — and had loans at Forest Green and Rochdale — before reaching the Prem.
Okonkwo’s path includes League Two, League One and now the Championship during Wrexham’s rise from non-league to the brink of the Premier League.
Ryan Reynolds message
He joined the Dragons on loan in 2023, shortly after their promotion back to the EFL, before signing permanently.
Okonkwo said: “Robert is an amazing keeper. I’ve so much respect for him and the hard yards he has done to get where he is.
“It’s the same with David Raya, who I trained with at Arsenal just before I left. They’ve both done the EFL. David played for Southport in non-league, Blackburn in League One and the Championship before going up with Brentford to the Premier League. That all takes a lot of hard work.
“This is what I aspire to do — follow a similar journey to what they’ve done.”
Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds shares that ambition. Okonkwo said: “When I first signed here, he told me he wanted me to be their keeper in the Premier League.”
After Okonkwo saved penalties against Nottingham Forest to set up tonight’s clash, Reynolds sent a hilarious message.
He said: “Ryan told me he loves me more than his kids! It was such an emotional night.”
Okonkwo is already a club legend, sitting fifth in their all-time clean sheets list on 46.
He said: “That’s crazy — but great to know. The manager, Phil Parkinson, has made us so hard to score against.”
The goalkeeper feels Wrexham’s success stems from avoiding the trend of playing out from the back.
Chelsea penalty-takers studied
He said: “The boss’ philosophy is to keep it simple. You see a lot of teams who play when it’s unnecessary. But he wants us to play smart. That way you have a higher chance of not making as many mistakes.”
Okonkwo has studied Chelsea’s penalty-takers, with info tied to his water bottle.
Facing the Club World Cup champions is a monumental task — but reaching this stage remains a “pinch-me” moment.
He said: “Had you said to me that we’d be in this position when I joined, I wouldn’t have believed it.
“Chelsea are a top-quality side and I’ve played against quite a few of them when I was in the Arsenal academy.
“They’ve got superstars but our full focus will be on the game, not who’s on the pitch. This is just another opportunity for us to create history. We can’t wait.”
