Although the arrival of goalkeeper Ederson is set to improve Manchester City's defensive prospects, a potential lack of save points could dent the Brazilian's Fantasy Premier League appeal for 2017/18.
Pep Guardiola’s second summer signing, following Bernardo Silva from Monaco, was central to a Benfica side who claimed a Portuguese league and cup double last term.
In 27 league appearances, Ederson registered 18 clean sheets and conceded only 12 goals.
His average of 198.4 minutes per league goal conceded dwarfed both of Claudio Bravo and Willy Caballero, who conceded every 75.6 minutes and 111.6 minutes respectively in Guardiola’s maiden PL season.
With Caballero's release from the club confirmed, Ederson now looks set to be the first-choice Citizens goalkeeper for the upcoming campaign.
Last season, Man City’s total of 12 shutouts was bettered by six other Premier League clubs. They also ranked fourth for goals against, with 39.
Ederson should certainly strengthen their potential for clean sheets.
His average of 42.5 minutes per save last season was superior to the 59.6 of Bravo, who kept only six clean sheets and conceded 26 goals in 22 appearances.
🇧🇷 U23 team, 🔟 Champions League appearances, 1️⃣8️⃣ clean sheets... And more!
— Manchester City (@ManCity) June 8, 2017
By The Numbers 📽 https://t.co/rTk6GVDKCV #WelcomeEderson pic.twitter.com/kCW5txyeMR
But it is not just Ederson’s ability to keep out opponents that will be vital.
Utilised as a sweeper keeper at Benfica, the 23-year-old is comfortable in possession, which is fundamental to Guardiola’s tactics.
Indeed, among goalkeepers with at least five FPL starts in the previous campaign, Caballero (76.4%) and Bravo (72.5%) were the top two in terms of pass accuracy.
Although Ederson managed only 65.3% by comparison, his distribution from deep was significantly better than Bravo, averaging 7.0 successful long balls to the Chilean’s 4.5.
This again highlights the likelihood of Ederson being named Guardiola's favoured No 1.
However, as evidenced by Burnley’s Tom Heaton, clean sheet potential is not the only factor to consider when selecting goalkeepers.
Heaton topped the FPL goalkeeper rankings thanks, in part, to a total of 142 saves, averaging a stop every 22.1 minutes.
Sunderland’s Jordan Pickford earned 36 points from save points and made a save every 19.3 minutes.
But Man City conceded fewer shots on goal (300) than any side in 2016/17, which suggests that Ederson will be mainly reliant on clean sheets and is less likely to profit from save points than busier rivals.
