In this FPL Dilemma we take a look at arguably the two best premier league goalkeepers. This is David De Gea (Man United) and Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea). Both priced at 5.5M they are joint most expensive along with Cech (Arsenal), Ederson (Man City) and Lloris (Tottenham).
Without further ado, let’s consider this FPL Dilemma…
David De Gea
David De Gea for me is the best goalkeeper in the Premier League. The keeper is very reliable between the sticks and could move on to bigger and better things in the near future. De Gea has made a total of 200 appearances for Manchester United and has earned 75 clean sheets, winning 1 Premier League title in 2012/13 season.
Signing in 2011 on a 5 year deal was fantastic business from Manchester United however; I see this being his last season in a united shirt. Consistent every season De Gea just improves each campaign and if he maintains/improves his clean sheet tally of 12 a season on average, United could be in with a run at the league title this season.
Thibaut Courtois
Thibaut Courtois is the unsung hero for Chelsea in there title winning campaign last season. Keeping an impressive 16 clean sheets from 36 appearances last campaign was a massive boost for Chelsea and FPL managers. In total, since the 2014/15 season, he has made a total of 91 appearances with 33 clean sheets, winning 2 premier league titles in 2014/15 and 2016/17.
With surprisingly minimal transfer interests from opposition and back up coming from Willy Caballero, Courtois looks certain to start and be the No.1 option for Conte. In addition to this, Chelsea will look to continue their impressive defensive record from last year and have highlighted this with some defensive signings in this transfer window.
The Verdict
Both of these keepers are likely to play all league games for their clubs unless suspended or injured. With the stature of the clubs they play for you can almost guarantee double figures for clean sheets throughout the season. However, which to include within your FPL can cause quite the head ache as to include both is simply not feasible with the budget constraints.
Fixtures could play a huge factor for opening game weeks as the fear of playing newly promoted sides can be costly if complacent. Manchester United’s first five are; West Ham (H), Swansea City (A), Leicester City (H), Stoke City (A) and Everton (H). Whereas, Chelsea’s first five are; Burnley FC (H), Tottenham (A), Everton (H), Leicester City (A) and Arsenal (H).
For me, Manchester United’s fixtures look more favourable for clean sheets as they don’t play a team from the top 5. Whereas, Chelsea play both Tottenham and Arsenal which will be tough games to predict.
In this case I’d choose David De Gea and partner him with a 4.0/4.5m rotation keeper in case rotation does occur.
Written by James Milburn (@jamesmilburn95)
