The Top Five Most Underrated Goalkeepers Of The Premier League Era

David Tully

4 years ago

Categories: Galleries, West Ham United News

Tags: Arsenal, aston villa, Ben Foster, Brad Friedel, Chelsea, Everton, Jussi Jaaskelainen, Liverpool, Lukasz Fabianski, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Shay Given, Sheffield United, Southampton, Spurs, West Ham, Wolves

After completing our series on the worst players to grace the Premier League over the past thirty years, we are now going to turn our attention to the most underrated.

Today, we will look at goalkeepers. The men in between the sticks very rarely get the credit they deserve as they only need to make one mistake to cost their team points.

There are numerous keepers from the last three decades who have carved out great careers playing in English football but not all have been remembered for their contributions despite their consistent performances.

Press the next page as we go through our top five most underrated keepers of the Premier League era:

5) Jussi Jaaskelainen (Bolton Wanderers and West Ham)

The Finnish international was Bolton’s first choice keeper for ten years, with the majority of those seasons being in the Premier League. He made key saves as the Trotters maintained their top-flight status throughout the first decade of the new millennium.

It is surprising, therefore, that bigger clubs didn’t come calling earlier, and West Ham eventually took up the chance to sign him in 2012, with Jaaskelainen linking up with former boss Sam Allardyce.

4) Lukasz Fabianski (Arsenal, Swansea and West Ham)

The Polish shot-stopper was much criticised during his early years at Arsenal and it was only when he moved to Swansea in 2014 that he began to be praised as a top-quality goalkeeper.

Having been unable to stop the Swans being relegated during his fourth season at the Liberty Stadium, Fabianski made the switch to West Ham in 2018. The Pole was named Hammer of the Year during his first campaign and remains the club’s number one.

3) Ben Foster (Manchester United, Birmingham, West Brom and Watford)

Many tipped the keeper to become a long-term number one at Manchester United but inconsistent performances meant he was loaned out to Watford before eventually being sold to Birmingham.

However, it was Foster’s performances at West Brom and Watford later in his career where he began to show he is a top-class shot-stopper, although it must be said he still makes a poor error occasionally.

2) Shay Given (Newcastle, Manchester City and Aston Villa)

The Republic of Ireland international was consistently one of the best keepers in the Premier League during his time at Newcastle. He spent 12 years in the North East but many felt he could have made it at a higher level, playing for a team challenging for the title.

Given eventually got his breakthrough when oil-rich Manchester City signed him in 2009. Unfortunately, the emergence of Joe Hart meant he was only first choice for two seasons before eventually being shipped out to Aston Villa.

1) Brad Friedel (Liverpool, Blackburn, Aston Villa and Tottenham)

The American international flattered to deceive after first arriving in England. He spent three years at Liverpool, struggling to establish himself in the first team before Graeme Souness signed him for Blackburn.

He spent eight years at Ewood Park, and while he was praised for his performances, bigger clubs refused to take a chance on him. He eventually moved to Aston Villa in 2008 before having a career swansong at Spurs where he was first choice for one season under manager Harry Redknapp.