Our Fantasy Premier League (FPL) 2025/26 end-of-season awards are up and running, as the poll for best goalkeeper is open for voting on the sidebar.
We’ll assess the key candidates for each position in four separate articles. Overall score, points per match and value for money are all factors being considered. The rest, we’ll leave up to you!
We start with the men between the sticks here.
And, for those wanting to see how Gameweek 38 pans out before voting, we’ll update this article after Sunday’s fixtures and leave the polls open till Tuesday 26 May at 23:59 BST.
DAVID RAYA
- Points: 162
- Points per match: 4.4
- Start cost: £5.5m
- Current cost: £6.2m
- Value (points per million): 26.1
The favourite to win this vote has to be Raya, someone who has secured the ‘Golden Glove’ with time to spare, after sharing last year’s with Matz Sels (£4.6m).
Despite making only 60 saves (at a rate of 1.62 per 90 minutes), the Spaniard is far ahead for both FPL points (162) and clean sheets (19), where six of the latter have come in Arsenal’s last eight.
Other peaks included four in a row from Gameweeks 7 to 10, then securing four in five between Gameweeks 21 and 25.
He began as the position’s joint most-expensive individual, but is still providing good value (26.1 points per million), helping owners double down on the Gunners’ notoriously resolute backline.
CAOIMHIN KELLEHER
- Points: 137
- Points per match: 3.8
- Start cost: £4.5m
- Current cost: £4.8m
- Value (points per million): 28.5
Providing even better ‘value’ is Brentford’s Kelleher. He arrived from Liverpool in search of more first-team minutes and now finds himself on the second-most points (137).
A slow start brought just two shutouts from 16 matches but, until the latest couple, the Bees had a four-in-seven run.
The Irishman ranks fourth for saves (103), where eight occurred versus Bournemouth at Christmas, and Manchester City were recently denied seven times. Of all goalkeepers to play four or more times, Kelleher has the second-best rate of blocking big chances (31.3%).
Furthermore, he’s joint-second for double-digit hauls (three), boosted by saving penalties from Bruno Fernandes (£10.4m), Enzo Le Fee (£4.8m) and Jorgen Strand Larsen (£5.9m). No others have stopped more than one.
GIANLUIGI DONNARUMMA
- Points: 135
- Points per match: 4.0
- Start cost: £5.5m
- Current cost: £5.6m
- Value (points per million): 24.1
As for Donnarumma, ranking second for clean sheets (15) and third for points (135) is impressive, considering he didn’t arrive from Paris Saint-Germain until early September.
He marked his debut with a Manchester derby shutout, going on to keep four from five between Gameweeks 15 and 19.
Still, one thing that held him back from FPL investment was a spurt of early yellow cards that meant he was on the verge of a suspension. The Italian successfully avoided this, but remains on a position-high eight bookings.
Yet his brilliant goalkeeping keeps churning out the clean sheets. Donnarumma is the best at preventing expected goals (xG, +5.80) and saving shots on target (75.0%).
ROBIN ROEFS
- Points: 134
- Points per match: 3.9
- Start cost: £4.5m
- End cost: £4.8m
- Value (points per million): 27.9
Slightly behind on 134 points is another summer purchase. Roefs has helped newly-promoted Sunderland achieve the next-best expected goals conceded (xGC) Delta after Man City (-6.56), thanks to 107 saves and 26 save points (both ranking second).
In fact, because of Roefs, the side that’s allowed the third-most shots (532) has actually let in the fourth fewest goals (47).
It all began with an opening day clean sheet at home to West Ham United, the first of four by Gameweek 8. That caused his popularity to increase.
No goalkeeper has accumulated more bonuses (12) than the Dutchman, helping him reach double-digits three times. The best tally took place in Gameweek 32, where seven saves and 11 points materialised at home to Tottenham Hotspur.
BART VERBRUGGEN
- Points: 128
- Points per match: 3.5
- Start cost: £4.5m
- End cost: £4.6m
- Value (points per million): 27.8
Also in the chase for European qualification is Brighton and Hove Albion. However, it took until Gameweek 10 for a clean sheet to eventually arrive.
But they’ve become much tighter at the back throughout the development of 2025/26. For example, five shutouts in the Seagulls’ latest 11 helped many Bench Boost users. From Gameweek 28 onwards, they’ve limited opponents to just 14 big chances.
Verbruggen is the closest regularly seen stopper to Donnarumma’s rate of saving shots on target (74.8%) and, after Arsenal and Man City, his team are the best at restricting goals (43) and efforts set for the net (135).
JORDAN PICKFORD
- Points: 133
- Points per match: 3.6
- Start cost: £5.5m
- End cost: £5.6m
- Value (points per million): 23.8
Next up is last season’s number one goalkeeper for points (158), which influenced FPL’s decision to begin him at the position’s maximum valuation.
Pickford has therefore given off an overpriced vibe, as this campaign hasn’t been quite as good. Four shutouts between Gameweeks 11 and 15 were good, but the Toffees have conceded at least twice in each of their last six encounters.
On the other hand, nobody beats him for double-digit joy (four) or big chances saved (28). His rate of denying such huge opportunities (31.1%) ranks third, while also being one of the leaders for xG Prevented (+3.00).
KARL DARLOW
- Points: 69
- Points per match: 3.3
- Start cost: £4.0m
- End cost: £4.0m
- Value (points per million): 17.3
Finally, it’s worth throwing some love towards bargain basement goalkeeper Darlow, who has been in every Leeds United lineup since Gameweek 22.
This sample size has him sitting joint-fourth for saves (45), where seven happened during Sunday’s 11-point masterclass versus Brighton – his fourth clean sheet in eight. At the business end of chip season, he’s been a good Bench Boost asset to many.
Amongst all regular starters, he’s up in third place for goals conceded per 90 minutes (1.143).
VOTE FOR YOUR GOALKEEPER OF THE SEASON HERE
