Super Eagles GK Okonkwo ranks among Championship’s best in 4 categories

Super Eagles goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo has made an impressive start to life with Charlton Athletic, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Nigeria international has seen his brilliance reflected in numbers as he features among the Championship's leading players in four statistical categories.

The 25-year-old ranks fourth for fewest goals conceded, joint-third for clean-sheet percentage, third for save percentage and fourth for long balls per 90 minutes.

The rankings, published by Fussball Europa and updated after each matchday, cover 25 goalkeepers with enough playing time.

Okonkwo's numbers stand out

Okonkwo has played all six of Charlton's Championship matches since joining the club on loan from Wrexham. He has completed 540 minutes, conceded six goals and made 20 saves from 26 shots on target, giving him a 76.9% save rate.

His latest performances came in back-to-back goalless draws against Queens Park Rangers on September 9 and Portsmouth on September 12. He made two saves against QPR before producing three saves against Portsmouth.

Those results have given him three clean sheets in six league appearances. His 50% clean-sheet rate puts him third in the Championship ranking, behind Lincoln City's George Wickens and Swansea City's Lawrence Vigouroux, who are both on 57%.

Okonkwo, who has been named in Nigeria's squad for this month's AFCON qualifiers, is also third in the save-percentage list at 77%. Wickens leads that table at 81%, while Queens Park Rangers goalkeeper Pierce Joseph Charles is second at 77%.

The goals-conceded ranking tells another part of the story. Aynsley Pears of Blackburn Rovers U23 leads with four goals conceded in 270 minutes, followed by Vigouroux and Charles with five each. Okonkwo is joint-fourth with six goals conceded, at one goal per 90 minutes.

His distribution has also put him near the top of the Championship. Charles leads the long-ball ranking with 46.81 per 90 minutes, followed by Anthony Patterson on 43.97 and José Sá on 41.67. Okonkwo sits fourth at 41.67 in the detailed ranking.

The numbers fit Charlton's recent defensive run. After conceding four goals in a 4-0 defeat at Stoke City on September 5, Okonkwo responded with clean sheets against QPR and Portsmouth.

Charlton's next Championship fixture is away to Cardiff City on September 19, giving Okonkwo another chance to build on a strong opening spell in south London.