After an incredible summer of World Cup action, the 2026/27 Premier League season is just around the corner.
While much of the focus will be on those scoring the goals, those keeping them out will arguably be more important. Just ask Arsenal, who won the title last time out despite scoring six fewer goals than Manchester City.
The Gunners conceded eight fewer goals than their challengers, with a record of just 27 allowed in 38 games fuelled by David Raya’s 19 clean sheets — a league-high and enough to scoop his third consecutive Golden Glove award.
With that in mind, we’ve taken a look at one favourite, dark horse and outsider option for the next edition of the Golden Glove.
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The favourite: David Raya
You really can’t have a serious conversation about the Golden Glove without starting with the guy who has won it in each of the last three seasons. In fact, if Raya repeats the feat this time around, he’ll draw level with Petr Cech and Joe Hart as the joint-record holders.
Raya was, of course, protected by an elite defence including the centre-back pairing of William Saliba and Gabriel. Indeed, the Spaniard was called upon to make just 1.62 saves per 90 minutes, ranking him 25th among Premier League goalkeepers with at least 25% of minutes played.
However, the big thing that set Raya apart — when focusing purely on shot-stopping and not his elite distribution — was his habit of coming up with huge saves in critical moments, right when Arsenal looked at their most vulnerable. Think his magnificent leap to deny a goalbound Yankuba Minteh effort as the Gunners beat Brighton 2-1 in December, or his Save of the Month contender against Chelsea in March as Mikel Arteta’s men won by the same scoreline.
Raya is sure to face very stiff competition from Manchester City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma. But if Arsenal’s defence turns up even half as much as they have done in recent years, and Raya continues his habit of producing colossal moments, it’s already over.
The dark horse: Jordan Pickford
From his England exploits to almost singlehandedly keeping Everton in the Premier League during their relegation struggles a few years ago, Jordan Pickford might just be the most disrespected goalkeeper in Europe’s top five leagues.
Over the last five seasons combined, only Alisson (59) and Raya (68) have kept more Premier League clean sheets than Pickford (51), while Ederson is level with the former Sunderland man. That puts him among an elite group of goalkeepers from each of the three clubs that have won the title during that period.
What’s more, Raya is Pickford’s nearest rival when it comes to saves in that period, but the Everton man is 160 clear on 584. That total leaves him 85 clear of any other Premier League goalkeeper across the last five years, and you only have to take a look at his highlights reel to see how mind-boggling some of those saves have been.
Pickford has been a one-man buffer between Everton and oblivion at times, but under David Moyes, they’re starting to climb the ladder again.
The Toffees very much get by on defensive resilience, with only five sides conceding fewer goals than them last season despite finishing 13th in the table. That’s unlikely to change under Moyes, so Pickford — who came third in last season’s Golden Glove race — will surely be in the mix.
The outsider: Robin Roefs
Sunderland were one of those sides to concede fewer goals than Everton, allowing just 48 in 38 matches as they made a stunning return to the Premier League — qualifying for Europe, no less.
Robin Roefs was a key driver behind their continental qualification, keeping 10 clean sheets and making the third-most saves (109) in the division.
That’s incredible when you consider the Dutchman was quite a controversial signing, given how important Anthony Patterson was to the Black Cats earning promotion in the first place. But Roefs has taken to his duties at the Stadium of Light brilliantly.
There is the worry that Sunderland’s relative second-half-of-the-season drop-off could be a sign of things to come. However, they recovered to go unbeaten across their last four games, including keeping another clean sheet in a 0-0 draw against Manchester United.
If Regis Le Bris’ men hit similar heights in 2026/27, Roefs will fancy his chances of upsetting the Golden Glove race.