We survey the best Fantasy Premier League (FPL) goalkeepers of at least £5.0m, as we continue our trawl through the price list.
Some few recent seasons have seen a £4.5m-starting stopper end as the top scorer: David Raya (£5.0m) last time, Emi Martinez (£5.0m) in 2020/21 and Nick Pope (£5.5m) a year before that.
However, uncertainty reigns among the budget bracket – at least, until we’ve seen pre-season friendlies take place.
If you find the current options at that price unconvincing, looking higher up could make sense.
Opta stats on the FPL goalkeepers featured in this article are available in our Premium Members Area, where you can now get a full year’s subscription – and lock in your price for years to come – for just £2.99 a month.
HOW MANY £5.0M+ FPL GOALKEEPERS ARE THERE?
Of the 66 listed goalies so far, 15 start at £4.5m and 41 are £4.0m. This leaves ten individuals costing at least £5.0m.
Hugo Lloris (£5.0m) is set to leave Tottenham Hotspur after 11 years, moving the list down to nine names. Likewise, David Raya‘s (£5.0m) expected transfer could take him abroad and reduce it further.
So as things stand, let’s assess the best candidates for this price bracket.
ALISSON
- Liverpool
- 2022/23 points: 162
- 2022/23 saves per 90: 2.95
- 2022/23 save percentage: 73.5%
Behind Raya, the most goalkeeper points were collected by Alisson (£5.5m). It feels like a surprise, considering Liverpool’s slow start of two clean sheets in eight matches was soon followed by a run without any between Gameweeks 13 and 20. Yet only Manchester United concluded with more.
There was definitely some luck, though. Early 2023 brought five clean sheets in a row despite an expected goals conceded (xGC) tally of 4.84. As well as this, the Reds allowed the third-most big chances (101) to opponents – a total bigger than last-placed Southampton.
Even so, he’s priced £2.5m less than Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.0m). If the inverted right-back really can’t be squeezed into a squad, the Brazilian provides alternative clean-sheet coverage. Plus, an assist against Manchester City helped him finish on six more points than Trent.
Alisson’s expected goals (xG) prevention of +8.50 ranked second-best but Liverpool’s only appealing initial fixture occurs in Gameweek 2, at home to Bournemouth.
EDERSON
- Manchester City
- 2022/23 points: 121
- 2022/23 saves per 90: 1.34
- 2022/23 save percentage: 59.7%
Fellow Brazilian Ederson (£5.5m) is short on goodwill. Man City conceded the lowest number of attempts (294), shots on target (92) and expected goals (33.07) but just 13 clean sheets were gained. Part of that blame belongs to Ederson’s bad xG prevention (-5.70) and a 59.7% save rate where the only two regulars to fare worse got relegated.
For some FPL managers, it’s still too soon to say Ederson’s name out loud. A paltry five save points is the negative impact of having such a good backline, meaning his 121 points ranked tenth in this position.
Not only that, it’s the way goals went in. As explored by The Athletic, Man City had this interesting quirk of conceding the first shot on target faced. And on 10 occasions, they conceded with an xGC under 0.50.
Nevertheless, there are still reasons to start with Ederson. He’ll likely avoid rotation with Stefan Ortega (£4.0m), whereas predicting Pep Guardiola’s defenders is a chastening experience. Moreover, he’s assisted three times in five seasons, offering an extra dimension to his selection. That plus some great starting fixtures makes Ederson – dare we say it – buyable.
AARON RAMSDALE
- Arsenal
- 2022/23 points: 143
- 2022/23 saves per 90: 2.55
- 2022/23 save percentage: 69.9%
Managers that don’t like four-man FPL defences will struggle to fit all of the leading candidates into just three spots. Therefore, Aaron Ramsdale (£5.0m) offers a same-price goalkeeping alternative to Gabriel and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Arsenal’s 14 clean sheets came joint-second, although they defended much better on the road. 10 shut-outs from away games and just four at home.
Sitting on top of our Season Ticker until Gameweek 7, covering the Gunners’ defence will be a popular move.
With Ramsdale, it’s only marginally more than a £4.5m stopper, making it more feasible than any of the three £5.5m candidates.
KEPA ARRIZABALAGA
- Chelsea
- 2022/23 points: 118
- 2022/23 saves per 90: 3.23
- 2022/23 save percentage: 75.8%
Ending in 12th place was disastrous by Chelsea’s standards but there’s hope of a new start under Mauricio Pochettino. Edouard Mendy was one of several names pushed to Saudi Arabia and, consequently, it means Kepa Arrizabalaga (£5.0m) is now the Blues’ undisputed number one.
Unseen until Gameweek 9 of last season, his 4.07 points per match ranked amongst the best in his position, with a 75.8% save percentage only slightly behind Raya.
Once Gameweek 3 brings a Luton Town (h), Nottingham Forest (h) and Bournemouth (a) sequence, FPL managers will likely be piling in on full-backs Reece James (£5.5m) and Ben Chilwell (£5.5m). But their injury records are so continually disappointing that settling for the Spaniard could be the best way in.
NICK POPE
- Newcastle United
- 2022/23 points: 157
- 2022/23 saves per 90: 2.40
- 2022/23 save percentage: 73.7%
Similarly, Pope’s priced right in the middle of Kieran Trippier (£6.5m) and Sven Botman (£4.5m). He played a big role in Newcastle’s shock Champions League qualification, where their backline collected 12 clean sheets in 20 outings. The only Premier League goalkeeper to be sent off, Pope was also one of three to save multiple penalties.
By Gameweek 21, only two goals were conceded in 11 recent matches but, during the remaining 18, their clean sheets were limited to two.
That regression, alongside being the joint-priciest keeper with some difficult initial opponents, makes Pope a tough recommendation.
EMI MARTINEZ
- Aston Villa
- 2022/23 points: 135
- 2022/23 saves per 90: 2.87
- 2022/23 save percentage: 74.2%
World Cup winner Martinez’s heroics of 2020/21 are still fresh in the memory and he could be set for another great campaign. His 74.2% save rate was impressive, as was Aston Villa’s defence once Unai Emery took charge.
They conceded the fewest goals (eight) of everyone from Gameweek 25 onwards, including a run of seven clean sheets from ten matches. It earned them a place in the UEFA Europa Conference League, where their great set of centre-backs – Pau Torres, Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa and Diego Carlos are all £4.5m – could be about to share game-time. Meanwhile, Martinez probably starts all matches over Robin Olsen (£4.0m).
There’s one other thing to note and it shouldn’t be a surprise if you’ve seen his antics for Argentina. Seven yellow cards were a league-high and this could deeply frustrate owners.
GUGLIELMO VICARIO
- Tottenham Hotspur, a new signing from Empoli
Finally, 26-year-old Guglielmo Vicario (£5.0m) had Serie A’s fifth-highest save percentage (71.3%) of 22/23 and made the most numerically in 21/22.
Check out our recent Scout Report on the Italian, as well as the feature on how Spurs are likely to play under Ange Postecoglou. It doesn’t exactly scream clean sheets. Neither does last season’s 63 goals conceded although, in fairness, their xGC was only 50.39 and sixth-best. The Lloris errors explain such a huge gap.
The fixtures get better looking from Gameweek 3, with Spurs facing all three promoted sides, Bournemouth and Fulham by Gameweek 9. Perhaps the highly-attacking Pedro Porro (£5.0m) is a better way to take advantage of these but, as mentioned, competition for our FPL defender spots is fierce.
WHAT RMT THINKS
Our Fantasy Premier League points projections for 2023/24 are now live for Premium Members of Fantasy Football Scout (not a member yet? Sign up here!)
If you’re torn between several early squad drafts, the Rate My Team (RMT) tool can help out by predicting how many points your own team will score over a series of upcoming Gameweeks. A breakdown of these player points can then be seen in our projections tables.
Of course, figures will be fine-tuned closer to the Gameweek 1 deadline as we learn more information.
Below, Premium Members can see the estimated highest-scoring players until Gameweek 8 but you can get the full picture here.
