The goalkeeper position has been an area of the England national side that has been locked down by Jordan Pickford for some time since the 2018 World Cup, with the Everton shot-stopper picked as the nation’s no.1 in all tournaments since.
Besides Aaron Ramsdale having a fine period of form for Arsenal after signing for the Gunners in 2021, Pickford has not had serious competition for his role in the England team.
While Pickford is still the Three Lions number one behind the sticks as it stands, there has been a rise of a few English goalkeepers this season. Therefore, GIVEMESPORT will be taking a deep dive into the top 10 English goalkeepers right now, unveiling some candidates for future number ones going forward.
Filling in for Jose Sa during his absence this season for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Sam Johnstone, unfortunately, entered a side that was leaking chances left, right, and centre. This led to the 31-year-old conceding 17 goals in seven matches and keeping no clean sheets, failing to find his feet in net for Wolves. A member of the Euro 2020 squad, in previous stints at Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion, Johnstone has managed to show his quality as a good goalkeeper.
However, with his current form and having played a limited amount of minutes this season, Johnstone cannot be high on the radar of the best English goalkeepers right now.
Another goalkeeper who has previously proven a level of quality in the Premier League but has struggled to find minutes on the pitch this season is Brighton & Hove Albion’s Jason Steele. Last season, the 34-year-old was often rotated in net with Bart Verbruggen. However, under new boss Fabian Hurzeler, Steele has massively fallen out of favour, starting only twice this season, though keeping a clean sheet in one of those matches.
He is technically very good with the ball at his feet and a good distributor from the back, starting attacks from deep positions. Though Steele is not as good a shot-stopper as his Dutch counterpart, ultimately costing him his place in the side. Therefore, due to the lack of game time, likewise to Johnstone, Steele cannot make it high up this list.
Coming out of the Sunderland academy and shining once given his opportunity in the first team, Anthony Patterson has become one to watch as a young goalkeeper in recent years. Popping up with some big saves for the Black Cats this season in their promotion push, Patterson has played an integral role in keeping 10 clean sheets thus far. The strongest facet of his game is his shot-stopping abilities, using his quick reactions and strong palms to pull off some astonishing saves.
Operating in a Regis Le Bris side that plays out from the back, Patterson at times can struggle as he is not at his strongest with the ball at his feet. He is susceptible to an error at the back on the odd occasion, but at the age of 24, if he continues to improve, Patterson could be one of the best English shot-stoppers in the business
