Arsenal youth goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo considers playing for Nigeria as World Cup looms

ARSENAL'S youth team goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo has revealed that he is seriously considering whether to commit himself to the Super Eagles as Qatar 2022 looms although he is weary of the burden of expectations that hangs over Nigerian players.

British-born Okonkwo, 20, has played with the England U17 team before and a few years ago, former Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr asked him to switch his allegiance and opt to play for Nigeria at the senior level. Okonkwo was a product of the Arsenal youth academy, who was handed his first professional contract when he turned 18.

This season, Okonkwo has firmly established himself as Arsenal's third choice goalkeeper having broken into the first team and is now considering his international future.  Mr Gernot had reached an agreement with Arsenal that would allow the goalkeeper to train with the Super Eagles and it is now up to the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to invite him.

In March, Nigeria will be playing a two-legged World Cup qualifier against Ghana and it is unlikely that the NFF will want to risk the young goalkeeper so soon by inviting him to camp. Besides, it is still not yet clear who will be managing the team for the qualifier as the NFF is yet to decide on whether to award a contract to Portuguese coach Jose Peserio or allow interim boss Augustine Eguavoen to continue.

Okonkwo has expressed fears, however, about representing Nigeria, stating that the pressure on players can be immense. He cited the recent instances of goalkeeper Maduka Okoye and Everton playmaker Alex Iwobi receiving death threats following Nigeria's elimination from the African Cup of Nations in the second round by unfancied Tunisia.

Not familiar with the workings of Nigeria, Okonkwo said he is concerned about the backlash from fans that can be pretty severe when Nigeria loses matches. He added that this is something he will give a lot of thought to before making a final decision on his international future.

Last year, one of the Eagles' coaches said they are very keen to have Okonkwo in the team because he offers long term options. He added that the other two goalkeepers Maduka Okoye and Francis Uzoho are both young too.

“There is a spot for young goalkeepers in the team because the experiment with Maduka Okoye paid off big time. He’s now the first choice at Sparta Rotterdam, whereas a year ago he was third choice at Fortuna Dusseldorf.

“Okonkwo is in the list of players Rohr is monitoring and if all goes according to plan he could be in for a chance to train with the team later this year. He just needs to be consistent at the level he’s playing now and also around the first team at Arsenal," the team, coach added.

With it being unlikely that Okonkwo will make the Super Eagles squad for the World Cup play-off, his best bet is being called to camp for Qatar 20-22 if Nigeria qualifies. Whoever gets named as team manager by the NFF will thus be key.