Who are the best goalkeepers in 2025/26 Fantasy?

The Scout starts a series of articles identifying the best players in each position in 2025/26 Fantasy Premier League, according to their price, statistics and fixtures. 

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Goalkeepers

£4.5m and under

Brentford’s summer signing from Liverpool, Caoimhin Kelleher (£4.5m), has the all-round potential to justify his emergence as the most-picked goalkeeper in Fantasy.

The Irishman is found in more than 32.2 per cent of squads, which makes him the fifth most-owned player overall. 

Crucially, Brentford’s appointment of Keith Andrews as their new head coach - promoting someone who was already working at the club - suggests they will continue to use the same tactics as former boss Thomas Frank.

The Bees encouraged their opponents to have plenty of shots from distance under Frank, which was a big part of former goalkeeper Mark Flekken’s success as their No 1 last season.

Despite earning only seven clean sheets, Flekken was the fourth top-scoring goalkeeper in FPL with 138 points. He made a league-high 156 saves and collected a further 39 save points – the equivalent of more than NINE extra clean sheets. 

A breakdown of Flekken's output last season shows what we should expect from Kelleher if the Bees retain the same tactical approach. 

A combined 37 per cent of his total points came from saves and bonus, compared with only 20.3 per cent from clean sheets.  

Flekken's points at Brentford last season

AFC Bournemouth’s Dorde Petrovic (£4.5m) and West Ham United’s Alphonse Areola (£4.5m) also appeal in the budget bracket for 2025/26.

Petrovic is expected to be the Cherries’ new goalkeeper after his summer move from Chelsea.

Bournemouth’s form at the Vitality Stadium in particular suggests the Serb could be a great differential in the opening stages, thanks to his lowly 4.9 per cent ownership. 

Andoni Iraola’s side kept seven clean sheets in home matches in 2024/25, just behind the league-high of eight recorded by both Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.

Over Gameweeks 2-7, FOUR of Bournemouth's six fixtures are at home, with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Brighton & Hove Albion, Newcastle and Fulham the visitors.

Areola is another goalkeeper who will earn you far more points than just clean sheets, but his appeal is reduced by the fact that his team-mate Aaron Wan-Bissaka is priced the same, at £4.5m, and looks a better pick. The wing-back’s five assists under Graham Potter from Gameweek 20 in 2024/25 were more than any other defender in Fantasy. 

While none of the goalkeepers priced at £4.0m are typically starters for their clubs, managers in Fantasy should be monitoring the situation at Burnley right now.

After selling James Trafford (£5.0m) to Manchester City, the Clarets are reportedly keen on acquiring Newcastle's Martin Dubravka (£4.0m) as their new No 1. If such a move transpires, Dubravka could offer exceptional value due to his huge potential for save points, at the very least.

£5.0m and over

At the start of the season, in particular, when the form of each club is more difficult to gauge, shopping in the £5.5m bracket for a goalkeeper is a somewhat unnecessary luxury.

But there is a handful of appealing £5.0m options due to the relative cost of their team-mates.

For example, Nottingham Forest’s Matz Sels (£5.0m) sets you back £0.5m less than centre-backs Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo (both £5.5m).

Notably, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have one of the very best schedules over the opening six Gameweeks.  According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), where the difficulty of each fixture is ranked from one to five - with one being the easiest possible match and five being the hardest - Forest’s average of 2.67 over the first six Gameweeks is the joint-best of any side.

Forest's first six fixtures 25/26

*1=easiest possible fixture, 5=hardest possible fixture

See: Who has the best and worst early fixtures?

Chelsea's Robert Sanchez (£5.0m) offers a £1.0m saving over left-back Marc Cucurella (£6.0m) for their kind mid-term run of opponents. Indeed, just ONE of the Blues' first 12 matches scores more than three in the FDR.

Meanwhile, the aforementioned Trafford’s return to Man City needs to be assessed. If he takes over from Ederson (£5.5m) as their new No 1, he would offer a £1.0m saving over defenders Josko Gvardiol and Rayan Ait-Nouri (both £6.0m) as a route into Pep Guardiola's rearguard.

So, who is the best goalkeeper to own in Fantasy?

The start of the season is all about finding value between the posts and, right now, Kelleher looks the standout budget pick.

Pairing him with his deputy Hakon Valdimarsson (£4.0m) means you only need to spend a combined £8.5m on your goalkeepers, which frees up cash to spend bigger in attack. 

In the £5.0m bracket, Sels and Sanchez have the early fixtures to offer better value than some of their pricier team-mates from the outset. 

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