FPL 2021/22 Tips: Premium Goalkeepers Analysis

The topic of today’s FPL tips article is premium goalkeepers. If we look we will see that there is not much talk about goalkeepers in the FPL to the extent that we are interested in defenders, midfielders and forwards. Last season set a precedent by emphasizing that point. For example, last season’s highest-scoring goalkeeper in the game was Emiliano Martínez (£5.5M) and he finished on higher points than players such as Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.5M) and Sadio Mané (£12.0M).

The number of goalkeepers that have been able to prove their value and potential as a reliable source of points has increased over the past couple of seasons. In that sense, I am interested in discussing premium goalkeepers. Everyone will agree that £6.0M is a worthy investment in outfield players but FPL managers have always been shrewd when it comes to keepers and try to strike a balance by getting a keeper worth £4.5M and a £4.0M scrub keeper rather than two reliable goalkeepers. So as to be able to select the required players in other departments.

Premium Goalkeeper Picks in FPL

Premium goalkeepers have been decided as per their price tag and keepers within the range of £5.5m to £6.0m have generally been considered as premium shot-stoppers. Let’s take a look at another aspect like Emiliano Martinez who started at £4.5M last season and as a result of his strong performances where he came within one point of breaking Brad Friedel’s FPL record for most points by a goalkeeper in a season (187) with his 186 points and received a well-deserved price bump to £5.5M for this season. These are some premium goalkeepers that might be worth the premium according to me:

Ederson (£6.0M)

📈 Points: 160 (2nd)

🚫 Clean Sheets: 19 (1st)

🧤 Saves: 66

⚽ Goals Conceded: 28 (2nd)

📊 Save Percentage: 71%

Ederson was crucial to the success of last season’s Premier League champions Manchester City. He was a key member of Pep Guardiola’s defence as they conceded the least goals in the league (32) and he finished the season as the second highest-scoring keeper in FPL after Martinez. The unpredictable “Pep roulette” has been a genuine concern and has left many FPL managers scratching their heads as they try to get into the head of one of the most brilliant coaches in the modern game but have often been burned especially in defence as no one guaranteed to start every game except Ederson. Manchester City possesses one of the best defences in the league and rotation proof Ederson might be worth the premium for a reliable player from the team as he has won the Premier League’s Golden Glove award for the past two years straight.

Edouard Mendy (£6.0M)

📈 Points: 140

🚫 Clean Sheets: 16 (2nd)

🧤 Saves: 57

⚽ Goals Conceded: 25 (1st)

❌ Penalty Saves: 1

📊 Save Percentage: 70.4%

After spending his first season at Chelsea last year and especially in the eyes of managers in FPL, Mendy will be under scrutiny this year as well. Last season, Chelsea kept 18 clean sheets, one less than City’s 19 shutouts. Despite his brilliant performance between the sticks last season, Mendy was benched thrice even though he was the first choice for Chelsea as coach Tuchel made it a habit to occasionally rotate his keepers. If you look at the whole Chelsea defence then Mendy is a safe option as he is still the least prone to rotation amongst all the options. They will face tough opponents in the first five matches of the season before the fixtures ease up but Mendy is still one to consider as he plays for one of the best defences in the league.

Emiliano Martínez (£5.5M)

📈 Points: 186 (1st)

🚫 Clean Sheets: 15 (3rd)

🧤 Saves: 143 (3rd)

⚽ Goals Conceded: 46

❌ Penalty Saves: 1

📊 Save Percentage: 76.3%

Martínez was the main topic of discussion throughout the entire Fantasy Premier League season last year and he has already become a fan favourite amongst FPL managers with some even dubbing him as an “FPL Legend”. Last year was a fairytale for him as he went from being a bench option for Arsenal to becoming one of the best keepers in the league and also winning the Copa America with Argentina this month. Martínez’s performances took everyone by surprise last year as he unexpectedly finished as the best keeper in fantasy and started the season at £4.5M last season and was already at £5.3M by the end of it.

Hopefully, he can replicate his production again this year and he will be a popular option with games against Watford, Newcastle and Brentford to start the season. With a price tag of £5.5m, his value is a bit at the higher end but the price is reasonable for his performances.

Nick Pope (£5.5M)

📈 Points: 144

🚫 Clean Sheets: 11

🧤 Saves: 116

📊 Save Percentage: 76.5%

Nick Pope is a very well known face in the FPL. He led the league in save percentage (minimum 10 games played) as he saved 76.5% of the shots he faced and finished last season with 144 points, more than any other player on his team. I couldn’t be happier with his £5.5M price as he should have scored more than 150 points but Burnley’s performance on the defensive end didn’t help him much. Burnley is facing a tough test at the start of this season that will prove whether their defence can still be relied on so Nick Pope is one to watch until the fixtures get better.

Hugo Lloris (£5.5M)

📈 Points: 149

🚫 Clean Sheets: 12

🧤 Saves: 114

⚽ Goals Conceded: 45

📊 Save Percentage: 73.3%

The football that Tottenham played in the first 10 matches last season was very eye-catching. Mourinho started the season with a bang at his first time in charge at Tottenham and some even touted the Spurs as possible title contenders. The performances of Son and Kane were very interesting in particular especially for Fantasy but with the exception of Lloris in defence, the other FPL assets from the team did not perform as well. Lloris scored the most points from the defence with 149 points but it remains to be seen what defensive changes new coach Nuno Espírito Santo will make. Spurs assets should be strongly considered from gameweek two onwards as they play Wolves, Watford and Crystal Palace and a player from their defence could be a sneaky pick against those teams.