As we come towards the end of the international break, it’s time to assess the merits of a selection of goalkeepers as FPL managers prepare for Gameweek 9.
Those who have owned Jordan Pickford (£4.4m) since all the way back in Gameweek 1 have had a rough ride, with the Everton goalkeeper failing to score more than three points in any of the first seven gameweeks. However, that all changed in Gameweek 8 when the Toffees defeated Bournemouth 3-0. Pickford’s clean sheet was supplemented by three saves and two bonus points, but he will have his work cut out this weekend as his side take on Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby.
Matching Pickford’s score of nine was Crystal Palace’s Sam Johnstone (£4.5m), who has now helped his side keep three consecutive clean sheets in the Premier League. That has equated to 26 points over that period – more than any other goalkeepers. Like Pickford though, Johnstone’s Gameweek 9 fixture isn’t the easiest, with Palace travelling to St. James’ Park to face in-form Newcastle.
Johnstone’s recent form has seen him rise to joint-first when it comes to overall FPL points among goalkeepers this season, with the Palace ‘keeper sharing that honour with Bern Leno (£4.7m). However, with just three points gained from the last two gameweeks, not to mention a string of difficult fixtures coming up for Fulham, it would not be a surprise to see many of Leno’s owners show him the exit door in the coming weeks.
There were only three other clean sheets in Gameweek 8, with Tottenham’s Vicario (£5.1m), Arsenal’s Davis Raya (£4.8m) and Nottingham Forest’s Matt Turner (£4.1m) bringing in the points. Turner in particular features in a large proportion of FPL squads, but many FPL managers will not have benefitted from his six points as he is often benched. Perhaps that will not the be the case in Gameweek 9, as Nottingham Forest take on promoted side Luton on home turf.