Arthur Okonkwo vs Patterson: What the stats say about Wrexham’s big goalkeeper decision

Super Eagles goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo will get a new competitor for the number 1 spot at Wrexham, as the club is set to sign a new goalkeeper, Anthony Patterson, from Sunderland, Afrik-Foot reports.

​The deal is expected to cost the Championship club €10 million, and it is expected to be sealed this week once Patterson completes his medical.

​This transfer is a clear statement of intent from Wrexham, who are looking to gain promotion to the Premier League after narrowly missing out on the playoffs last season.

Wrexham have agreed an £8m fee with Sunderland for goalkeeper Anthony Patterson.

The 26-year-old has permission to undergo his medical.🧤 pic.twitter.com/NrciFcLLbP

— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) August 10, 2026

​In the meantime, it creates an air of uncertainty in the goalkeeper department. With Patterson joining, Wrexham will have four goalkeepers, meaning that they will have to ship one out this summer.

​There has been a lot of talk about Okonkwo’s future this summer, as he has just one year left on his contract and could not agree on terms for an extension with the Red Dragons.

​Okonkwo might have to leave this summer, and that might prove to be a big loss eventually. In this article, we will compare both players to ascertain who is really the better goalkeeper option.

​Arthur Okonkwo vs Anthony Patterson: Who is the Better Goalkeeper?

​First of all, it is important to note that Patterson is a much more experienced goalkeeper than Arthur Okonkwo. Patterson was the man between the sticks when Sunderland gained promotion to the Premier League two seasons ago.

​However, the club opted against making him the first-choice goalie upon their promotion to the top flight. He spent last season at Millwall, where he featured in 16 games.

​For the sake of a better comparison, we will compare Okonkwo’s stats from last season with Patterson’s stats from two seasons ago, since both sample sizes are close.

​To begin with, Patterson is 26 years old, two years older than Okonkwo, but the Super Eagles star is slightly taller than him. Okonkwo stands at 195cm, while Patterson stands at 188cm.

​In terms of goals conceded, Okonkwo let in 53 goals in 39 games, while Patterson was breached 42 times in 42 games. However, in terms of saves, Okonkwo made 20 more saves than the Sunderland man.

​Now, there is “goals prevented,” a stat that measures a goalkeeper’s effectiveness in preventing goals. It is based on the ratio of goals conceded to the expected number of goals, based on the quality of shots faced. In both goalkeepers’ cases, they are on -1.8, which means that they conceded more goals than expected.

​For clean sheets, Patterson had five more than Okonkwo’s nine. In terms of long ball accuracy, the Super Eagles star is better, with 6 per game and an accuracy of 36.5% compared to Patterson’s 4.8 per game and an accuracy of 33.6%.

​Additionally, Okonkwo is a better sweeper-keeper, as he averages 1.3 clearances per game, unlike Patterson’s 0.6.

​This dive into the statistics has not exactly shown that Patterson is a better goalie than Okonkwo. It just shows that the Super Eagles star is not valued enough by Wrexham.

​As of now, it is difficult to confirm if he will leave the club, but a lot could change in these last few weeks while the transfer window remains open.