In brief
Data indicates that well-known goalkeepers like Emiliano Martinez and Aaron Ramsdale have fared poorly.
The Premier League’s top-performing English goalie thus far this season is Dean Henderson.
Despite recent criticism, Andre Onana and Robert Sanchez of Manchester United have some remarkable statistics.
Numerous methods for using data to monitor player performance have surfaced over time. Expected goals, or xG, is a massive measure that is utilised extensively these days. When a person takes a shot, this particular type of data is used to determine whether or not they should have scored the goal. Conversely, expected goals saved accurately indicates how many goals a goalie should have allowed but chose not to, and hence how much they have outperformed in terms of stopping shots.
For instance, a keeper has done a fantastic job if they are able to keep out a shot with a high xG attached. However, they have underperformed and ought to have made the save if they are unable to keep a shot out with a low xG. In light of all of that, we have chosen to present to you the Premier League goalkeepers for this season. Using data from FBref, we have ranked the top and bottom goalkeepers in terms of the number of expected goals they have prevented thus far in the 2024–25 campaign.
The only goalkeepers considered are those who have appeared in eight or more Premier League games (25 percent).
25–16
The Premier League’s worst performers
Given the defensive difficulties both teams have faced this season, it is not shocking that Wolves’ Jose Sa and Brighton’s Dutch custodian Bart Verbruggen are in the bottom two slots. With respective PSxGs of -5.5 and -3.9, they are also far behind the rest of the pack. These three names are also ones you may anticipate seeing in Alphonse Areola of West Ham, Aaron Ramsdale, a target for Manchester United, and Bernd Leno of Fulham, the latter of whom is arguably the most intriguing to yet.
Stefan Ortega has had increased playing time due to the competition for the top slot at the Etihad, but he hasn’t done much while he has been in goal. Arijanet Muric of Ipswich Town follows him, and then, perhaps the biggest surprise of all, Emiliano Martinez, the Kopa Trophy winner, whose statistics don’t seem to support his reputation as one of the world’s best shotstoppers.
Alisson Becker and Caoimhin Kelleher of Liverpool may be set to win a Premier League trophy at the conclusion of the season, but they haven’t scored many goals against opponents, which may be because the Reds don’t let up many good opportunities.
15–11
David Raya is not in the top ten.
We have some well-known players between 11th and 15th, the most well-known of them is David Raya, a star for Arsenal. Raya has lived up to his captivating heroics this season, but the Gunners had the league’s finest defensive in the 23–24 campaign.
Nick Pope and Martin Dubravka, the goalkeepers for Newcastle and Bournemouth, are both in the green, as is Kepa Arrizabalaga, who has experienced a sort of career comeback at the Vitality Stadium.
Jordan Pickford of Everton, who has been crucial for the Toffees, just misses out on the top 10. Since the Goodison Park team has frequently struggled to score goals, it has been crucial for their number one to maintain a tight ship at the back to prevent them from getting into more problems.
10-6
Andre Onana and the Premier League’s oldest player make the top 10
Most people would think that the top 10 is when we start to see some of the more well-known players, but this season, some pretty modest guys have been doing very well. Alex Palmer, who has eight games under his belt and has stopped 1.2 goals for the Tractor Boys, is in tenth place. Lukasz Fabianski, who is 39 years and 11 months old and the oldest player in the category, is in seventh place with +2.0. The Hammers still rely on the Pole, even though most competitors in their 40s would be thinking about retiring.
Two of the division’s most critiqued goalkeepers are positioned between those two. Andre Onana of Manchester United is now in a solid tenth place, although he was recently dropped because of the accumulation of his mistakes. Despite the fervent pleas of Chelsea supporters for his removal, Robert Sanchez is currently one spot ahead. Mark Flekken of Brentford, who had a tremendous season, is also left out of the top five.
5-1
Dean Henderson features in the top three
Even though Leicester City has already been relegated, Mads Hermansen, the teenage custodian, will undoubtedly be receiving calls from more elite teams as he finishes fifth following an outstanding individual campaign. Matz Sels of Nottingham Forest, who has been instrumental in the Garibaldi’s ascent to possible Champions League football, comes after him.
Ederson appeared to be on the verge of being fired at one point, but the statistics demonstrate how crucial he has remained at the Etihad. The Brazilian’s “sweeper-keeper” technique has revolutionised what is expected of those in goal, making him one of the most unconventional players in Premier League history.
This season, Dean Henderson’s incredible play at Crystal Palace has not gone unnoticed. Once prone to being a bit too emotional and inconsistent, the Englishman has developed into a seasoned goalie who consistently delivers. The Eagles will need this player at the top of his game if they hope to win the FA Cup.
Guglielmo Vicario is carrying on where he left off in his Tottenham debut season, displaying no symptoms of second-season syndrome. Given how leaking Ange Postecoglou’s defence has been, it may not come as a surprise that the Italian has had to demonstrate his skills on multiple occasions this season. He was a huge miss when sidelined.
Each Premier League goalie is ranked according to the projected goals they have stopped.
Ordering
The player
Group
PSxG-GA (expected goals less permitted goals)
1.
Vicario Guglielmo
Tottenham Hotspur
+4.1
2.
Henderson, Dean
The Crystal Palace
+3.8
3.
Ederson
City of Manchester
+3.8
4.
Sels Matz
Forest of Nottingham
+3.1
5.
Mads Hermansen
City of Leicester
+3.1
6.
Flekken, Mark
Brentford
+2.3
7.
Fabianski Lukasz
United West Ham
+2.3
8.
Sanchez, Robert
Chelsea
+2.0
9.
Onana, Andre
City of Leicester
+1.8
10.
Palmer, Alex
Town of Ipswich
+1.2
11.
Pickford, Jordan
Everton
+1.0
12.
Dubravka, Martin
Newcastle United
+0.9
13.
Arrizabalaga Kepa
The Bournemouth
+0.8
14.
Pope, Nick
Newcastle United
+0.7
15.
Raya David
The Arsenal
+0.3
16.
Alisson
Liverpool
+0.3
17.
Kelleher Caoimhin
Liverpool
-0.4
18.
Martinez, Emiliano
Southampton
-1.0
19.
Muric, Arijanet
Town of Ipswich
-1.6
20.
Ortega, Stefan
City of Manchester
-1.8
21.
Leno, Bernd
Fulham
-2.7
22.
Ramsdale, Aaron
Southampton
-3.5
23.
Areola Alphonse
United West Ham
-3.8
24.
Jose Sa.
Wanderers of Wolverhampton
-3.9
25.
Verbruggen, Bart
Albion, Brighton & Hove
-5.5
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