Who was the best goalkeeper in the Premier League in 2025-26?
The role of the goalkeeper has changed slightly. They are no longer expected to just be shot-stoppers. Goalkeepers are also expected to be good with their feet, starting their team’s moves and composed on the ball.
We’ve used our Squawka Score to pick out the top five goalkeepers in 2025-26, among players with at least 1,710 minutes played in the Premier League. That’s 50% of the season. Our rating system takes into account a variety of statistical categories, from clean sheets and saves to goals prevented.
With the season over, Karl Darlow stood top of the goalkeeping ranking, with a Squawka Score of 66%. He sits two clear of second-placed Dean Henderson, with Matz Sels completing the top three.
- Karl Darlow (Leeds United) – 66%
- Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace) – 64%
- Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest) – 63%
- Caoimhin Kelleher (Brentford) – 62%
- Gianluigi Donnarumma (Man City) – 61%
- Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa) – 60%
- Martin Dubravka (Burnley) – 60%
- Jordan Pickford (Everton) – 59%
- Robin Roefs (Sunderland) – 58%
- David Raya (Arsenal) – 58%
NB: Only players with at least 1,710 minutes played (50%) so far this season are considered.
5. Gianluigi Donnarumma
- Team: Man City
- Squawka Score: 61%
Gianluigi Donnarumma had a decent first season at Manchester City, making his way into the top five Premier League goalkeepers. He wasn’t too busy in the Man City goal, so didn’t rank well for saves. But he did make up for it in his save percentage and goals prevented per 90 minutes. He was in the 80-95th percentile among goalkeepers for the later, with 0.23 goals prevented per 90. He also conceded just 0.85 goals per 90, among the best in the division.
4. Caoimhin Kelleher
- Team: Brentford
- Squawka Score: 62%
Caoimhin Kelleher was a key player in Brentford’s season as the Bees overperformed against early expectations. He sat in the 80-95th percentile for his 0.27 smothers per 90, as well as 0.08 penalties saved. Kelleher also ranked well for his completed passes into the final third and long passes, showing he can do both sides of the game.
3. Matz Sels
- Team: Nottingham Forest
- Squawka Score: 63%
Matz Sels is another goalkeeper to climb the rankings towards the end of the season, helping Nottingham Forest win their fight against relegation. Sels was a busy ‘keeper and ranked pretty well for his 3.21 saves per 90, as well as saves from shots inside the box (2.13). The Belgian also sat in the 80-95th percentile for his 0.91 diving saves completed per 90, and did well in the passing metrics.
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2. Dean Henderson
- Team: Crystal Palace
- Squawka Score: 64%
Dean Henderson spent time as the best goalkeeper in the Premier League, but he had to settle for second. It may be a scary thought for Crystal Palace fans for where they’d be without him. The Englishman ranked well for his goals prevented per 90 and his lack of errors leading to shots or goals. Henderson also ranked very well for his clean sheets at 0.3 per 90, lack of goals conceded and completed passes into the final third (1.68 per 90).
1. Karl Darlow
- Team: Leeds United
- Squawka Score: 66%
Karl Darlow wasn’t meant to be the No.1 for Leeds United, but injuries and a loss of form for summer arrival Lucas Perri meant he was thrust in for the majority of minutes. The Wales international responded well to the challenge, sitting top of the goalkeeping rankings for the campaign. Darlow ranked very well for his long passes and passes into the final third completed (2.36 per 90), as well as smothers inside his box.
How do Squawka’s ratings work?
We used Twenty3 Sport’s Discovery Tool to run a customised search. The Discovery Tool rates a player’s per 90 output across selected metrics to produce a percentage score, referred to above as the Squawka Score.
Each player’s stats are compared to the average output of goalkeepers across the past three seasons of big-five European league football. The higher the score, the closer they rank to the 95th percentile and above for each metric.