Arsenal tour absentee allowed to leave on permanent deal

Okonkwo had featured for Arsenal in their opening friendly of pre-season, playing against Watford in a behind-closed-doors match.

But Okonkwo was then left behind for the trips to Germany and the USA, raising suspicions that he was edging closer to an exit.

Kaya Kaynak confirmed on Sunday that this was indeed the reason for Okonkwo’s omission from the tour, before Fabrizio Romano reported that it’s been agreed Okonkwo can leave Arsenal on a permanent deal this summer.

Okonkwo’s current deal with Arsenal expires in 2024, and he’s now the subject of interest from clubs in England and across Europe.

This news isn’t entirely surprising. Earlier in the window, Goal reported that interest in Okonkwo was mounting ahead of the summer, with several clubs in England and abroad chasing a transfer.

There’s significant interest emerging from Germany, and an Arsenal departure this summer was described as a “strong possibility”.

There were some suggestions Okonkwo could still end up operating as Arsenal’s third-choice goalkeeper, but it seems the outside interest has eventually prompted him to pursue a transfer.

The 21-year-old had an impressive season in 2022/23. He started out with League Two side Crewe Alexandra, keeping 10 clean sheets, before Arsenal made the decision to recall him and loan him back out to Austria.

The move seemed like a good idea, with Okonkwo jumping from fourth-tier English football to first-tier Austrian football, but it probably went even better than anyone hoped.

The highlight of Okonkwo’s Sturm Graz spell was certainly keeping a clean sheet in the final of the OFB Cup, as his side lifted the trophy over Rapid Vienna.

Okonkwo had also made a save in the quarter-final penalty shootout win over RB Salzburg, and kept a clean sheet in the semi-final against LASK. So he was a key part of their trophy win.

On top of that, Okonkwo helped Sturm Graz push Salzburg to the end of the Austrian Bundesliga title race.

The Arsenal loanee made 44 appearances and kept 16 clean sheets between his two loan spells.