We pick out the best £5.0m and £5.5m Fantasy Premier League (FPL) goalkeepers as we continue our trawl through the price list.

Premium goalkeepers have been unfashionable for a while now, with budget shot-stoppers like Aaron Ramsdale and Emiliano Martinez popping up in recent seasons to offer superior value.

However, FPL have taken a new approach with premium ‘keepers this year, perhaps trying to tempt many of us away from the above strategy, with the most expensive options now costing just £5.5m.

With unlimited transfers allowed during the World Cup downtime and a Wildcard to use before then, we’re focusing mostly on Gameweeks 1-8 in this article.

You can read a rundown of the best budget goalkeepers here.

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ALISSON

Alisson (£5.5m) finished as FPL’s highest-scoring ‘keeper in 2021/22 with 176 points, at least 18 more than any of his rivals, but has seen his price surprisingly drop by half a million.

The Brazilian shared the Premier League Golden Glove award with Ederson (£5.5m) last season, after keeping a whopping 20 clean sheets in 35 appearances for Liverpool.

He also finished top for bonus (15) among goalkeepers – something you don’t usually associate with the big guns – while 4.9 points per match was another league-leading figure among those who are first choice.

His popularity last season certainly took a hit due to his price and the performances of Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.5m), Andrew Robertson (£7.0m) and Joel Matip (£6.0m), but this time, he is the cheapest and most secure route into Liverpool’s backline, which does boost his appeal.

Alisson has been central to the Reds’ recent success under Jurgen Klopp, and will surely be a popular choice for FPL managers given his price drop. Indeed, he is currently the second-most selected ‘keeper in FPL, sitting in 18.8% of embryonic squads.

EDERSON

Ederson finished 21 points behind Alisson at the top of the FPL scoring charts last season, but could be an excellent choice between the sticks in 2022/23.

As discussed above, the Brazilian co-shared the Golden Glove award with Alisson in 2021/22 but a lack of save points (just seven in 37 appearances) and bonus points (four) meant he finished some way short of the Liverpool shot-stopper in the overall standings:

However, Manchester City bossed the all-important underlying stats last season, and have since added Kalvin Phillips (£5.0m) to their ranks, further bolstering their defensive depth.

As a result, Ederson at just £5.5m is an appealing option in Gameweek 1, especially if you are backing Man City’s domination to continue.

AARON RAMSDALE

Despite a late run of blanks, Aaron Ramsdale’s (£5.0m) total of 12 clean sheets in 34 starts in 2021/22 was only bettered by those representing the top four.

Alisson, meanwhile, was the only ‘keeper who could beat him for bonus (14) across the season.

The former Sheffield United man’s last shut-out arrived in Gameweek 29, as Arsenal struggled to cope defensively following injuries to Kieran Tierney (5.0m) and, in particular, Thomas Partey (£5.0m). In fact, the Gunners lost six Premier League matches from 23 with Partey in the starting XI, compared to seven from 14 when he was absent.

As a result, that meant the season ended on a slightly sour note for Ramsdale but he still finished with a very respectable 4.0 points per match.

His ownership is currently nearing 10%, and given Arsenal’s opening fixture run – they sit top of our Season Ticker from Gameweeks 1-8 – he could be a nice pickup.

EDOUARD MENDY

Currently the most owned FPL goalkeeper at 25.1%, Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy (£5.0m) is unsurprisingly a popular pick after his surprise £1.0m price drop from last season.

The Senegal international made a few mistakes in 2021/22 – the defeat to West Ham United in December was a notable one – but for the most part, was a reliable asset for Thomas Tuchel’s side, keeping 14 clean sheets and racking up a total of 130 points.

However, it’s worth noting that budget shot-stoppers like David Raya (£4.5m) and Vicente Guaita (£4.5m) averaged more FPL points per match (4.0) than Mendy (3.8), with his cause not helped by just 14 save points and three bonus points.

Chelsea’s defence did falter towards the end of last season, but with reinforcements expected – they have lost Antonio Rudiger but have recently been linked with Kalidou Koulibaly and Nathan Ake (£5.0m) – they will be expected to mount a stronger title push in 2022/23, with their potential for clean sheets still among the highest in the division.

Mendy offers FPL managers a value route into Chelsea’s defence, and given that the Blues only face two of the so-called top six clubs in their opening 12 fixtures, is an appealing option.

THE OTHER £5.0M/£5.5M GOALKEEPERS: THE PROS AND CONS

Hugo Lloris (£5.5m) returned a clean sheet in 12 of his 27 appearances under Antonio Conte, conceding just 24 goals in that time. His three double-digit hauls was joint-top among goalkeepers, while only Alisson could beat him overall for FPL points and value. The strength of Tottenham Hotspur’s improving defence did have its downsides though: Lloris recorded save points in just four of his final 14 appearances for the Lilywhites. His popularity in 2022/23 will also be impacted by the appeal of Spurs’ wing-backs, with Matt Doherty and Ivan Perisic available for £5.0m and £5.5m respectively.

Across the 2021/22 campaign, only Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Spurs conceded fewer goals than Wolverhampton Wanderers, yet their expected goals conceded (xGC) tally was much worse, ranking 15th among all Premier League sides. A huge reason for that overachievement was the performances of Jose Sa (£5.0m). Only three other goalkeepers made more saves (122) than the Portuguese in 2021/22, while his +7.80 expected goals (xG) prevented figure was excellent. Wolves have a nice opening run, facing Fulham, Bournemouth and Southampton in the opening six Gameweeks, but given their worrying underlying numbers, a ‘wait and see’ approach may be best applied here, especially with Jonny (£4.5m) and Rayan Ait-Nouri (£4.5m) available for half a million less.

Aston Villa’s opening run of fixtures is certainly appealing, especially the first three matches, with 2020/21 FPL hero Emiliano Martinez (£5.0m) a secure route into their backline. Last season was an underwhelming one for the Argentine, as he managed 11 clean sheets and 129 FPL points, but there was improvement following the appointment of Steven Gerrard. Diego Carlos (£5.0m) and Boubacar Kamara (£5.0m) have since arrived this summer, strengthening Villa’s spine, as they look to push up the table. However, like Spurs, it’s hard to look past their full-backs – Matthew Cash (£5.0m) and Lucas Digne (£5.0m) – as the best options, given their attacking threat.

Leicester City’s defensive stability in 2021/22 wasn’t anything to shout about, as they struggled to cope with a busy schedule. Now, free of any European distractions, Kasper Schmeichel (£5.0m) could become an option between the sticks once the Foxes’ fixtures improve. The same of which can be said for Nick Pope (£5.0m), who suffered relegation from the Premier League with Burnley last season, but has since moved to Newcastle United, where he is now set to replace Martin Dubravka (£4.5m) as Eddie Howe’s number one. With another solid summer signing in the form of Dutch defender Sven Botman (£4.5m) in line to lead the defence in front of him, Pope could come onto the FPL radar in Gameweek 6, when many managers will be deploying their first Wildcard.

Elsewhere, Manchester United and West Ham United’s opening six fixtures suggest David de Gea (£5.0m) and Lukasz Fabianski (£5.0m) won’t receive too much attention, with their FPL ownerships currently sitting at 5.4% and 1.1% respectively.

FPL POINTS PROJECTIONS

Our algorithm-generated FPL points projections for the 2022/23 campaign have been refreshed for the first time.

These will be updated as pre-season continues and more team news information becomes apparent.

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