FPL Goalkeepers 2026/27: What the First Four Matches Tell Us

Which FPL goalkeepers look best after four matches?

Quick answer:

David Raya is still our preferred premium goalkeeper. Arsenal have conceded once and kept three clean sheets, while Raya's penalty save at Sunderland showed that he can find points beyond the obvious route.

Konstantinos Tzolakis is the most interesting addition to the shortlist after Hull also kept three clean sheets. Caoimhín Kelleher owners, meanwhile, can afford to wait unless they are already on a Wildcard. Brentford have conceded only four goals; three straight clean-sheet blanks look worse than the underlying record.

This is a review of our August goalkeeper guide, not a claim that four matches settle the position. The Fantasy hub has the current public board if you want to compare these calls with the rest of your squad.

Match cutoff: 12 September 2026. Gameweek 4 was still in progress, but every club in this comparison had completed four league matches.

Where does the goalkeeper shortlist stand?

Source: FootieGuide calculations from completed Premier League results, 21 August to 12 September. These are club defensive records, not individual FPL scores or a full league ranking.

Three clean sheets from four games is a fine start. It is also a small enough sample for one difficult afternoon to change the picture. Opponents matter, so does the amount of work a goalkeeper faced, and so does the outfield upgrade you might give up to buy him.

Is Raya worth the extra money?

Arsenal have conceded once in four league matches. That is exactly why Raya led our August premium shortlist: you are paying for a defence we trust, not chasing saves and hoping the clean sheet survives.

Sunderland made him work, though. They produced 12 shots and 1.64 expected goals, including Enzo Le Fée's penalty. Raya saved it and Arsenal won 2-0, but the scoreline should not be mistaken for a routine afternoon. Opta's match analysis has the underlying figures.

That penalty also skews any four-match points comparison. The official FPL rules award four points for an eligible goalkeeper clean sheet and five for a penalty save. One moment was worth more than the clean sheet itself.

If you are building a new squad or using a Wildcard, Raya is still the premium keeper I would look at first. If you already own Kelleher, do not spend a transfer simply to recover Raya's points. Compare the extra cost with what it buys in midfield or attack.

Should Kelleher owners be worried?

Brentford's goals-conceded sequence is 0, 1, 1, 2. They shut out Tottenham, then conceded against Leeds, Sunderland and Bournemouth. Both of these statements are true: Kelleher has blanked for clean-sheet points in three straight matches, and Brentford have conceded only four times in four games.

Our August description of Kelleher as the best value set-and-forget option was too firm. He is now a reasonable hold rather than an automatic recommendation for a new squad.

There is one team-news detail to watch. Nathan Collins went off with a calf strain against Sunderland in Gameweek 3. Changes in the defence in front of a goalkeeper matter, and Brentford's pre-Gameweek 4 review records the injury.

I would keep Kelleher if the same transfer is needed for an injured or non-starting outfield player. On a Wildcard, I would reopen the whole comparison rather than carry the August verdict forward.

Has Tzolakis earned a place on the shortlist?

Yes. Hull kept Manchester United, Coventry and Aston Villa out before drawing 2-2 at Chelsea. That leaves them level with Arsenal on clean sheets, with one more goal conceded.

There is an important caveat. Coventry and Villa had both failed to score in their first three league matches, so two of Hull's shutouts came against struggling attacks. A straight comparison with Arsenal's defensive strength would be premature.

Even so, a clean sheet against United and a point at Stamford Bridge are enough to take Hull seriously. Reuters' Chelsea-Hull report covers their latest resilient performance.

Tzolakis belongs in the conversation if you are choosing from scratch. Check his current price and the next run of opponents before buying. If you already own him, conceding twice at Chelsea is no reason to jump off a pick that started with three clean sheets.

What should Alisson, Kinský and Pickford owners do?

Liverpool conceded twice in each of their first two matches, then shut out Ipswich and Fulham. Tottenham followed defeats to Brentford and Newcastle with clean sheets against Forest and Everton. Two better results do not establish a new defensive standard, but they are a welcome change for owners.

Alisson's eight points at Ipswich show how goalkeeper returns build: two appearance points, four for the clean sheet, one save point and one bonus point. The Premier League Scout recorded that Gameweek 3 return.

The Fulham match was less comfortable than another zero suggests. Liverpool's match report describes a defensive mix-up that needed a goal-line clearance as well as saves from Alisson. Owners can take encouragement; buyers should still compare price and fixtures.

Everton have two clean sheets and three goals conceded. Their latest came against a Tottenham side that had failed to score in all four league matches by the cutoff. Pickford remains a reasonable hold, but that opponent context matters before you treat the latest return as a breakthrough.

Why does Martínez need a fresh assessment?

Our August guide listed Martínez at Aston Villa. That is no longer his defensive environment: he moved to Chelsea in the summer, and the club has conceded nine goals in four league matches.

We have withdrawn the Villa-based recommendation. Martínez's ability has not changed, but the team around him has. Before recommending a purchase, we would want Chelsea to show that they can limit chances and protect a lead.

How do saves and bonus points affect the comparison?

Save points and bonus points are separate. A goalkeeper earns one FPL point for every three saves made in a match. The Bonus Points System then ranks performances for up to three additional points, while goalkeepers also lose a point for every two goals conceded.

The per-match calculation matters. Two saves in each of three matches produce six saves overall and no save points. Six saves in one match produce two. A season total alone cannot tell you the FPL return.

There is a 2026/27 wrinkle too: saving a big chance now adds a point to a goalkeeper's BPS score. A BPS point is not automatically an FPL point; it only helps determine the bonus ranking. The Premier League's BPS guide explains the distinction.

This is why I would not buy whichever goalkeeper happens to lead the points table after four matches. Check how the points arrived. Clean sheets, a penalty save and repeatable save volume say different things about what may come next.

What would we do with the next transfer?

Tzolakis is the new name on the shortlist. Kelleher no longer gets an automatic value endorsement. Raya keeps his place at the premium end, but one penalty save should not make every other goalkeeper owner feel they have to act.

For the other side of those penalty decisions, read our early-season set-piece review. You can also browse FootieGuide designs in the Shop.

About this review: results run through 12 September 2026. The table compares club clean sheets and goals conceded, not individual FPL points. Prices and future fixtures are deliberately left out so the numbers remain an accurate snapshot of the stated cutoff.