#TalentRadar Top 5 Young Goalkeepers // As part of our Talent Radar feature, we will regularly publish Player Rankings of Young Players divided across the four primary positions (goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders & forwards) and focusing on the 6 big leagues of Europe (Bundesliga, La Liga, Premier League, Serie A, Ligue 1 & Eredivisie).
Some FAQs worth reading just to clarify any doubts about this.
What is Talent Radar? Read this for complete details on the feature.
What is the eligibility criteria? Players that were aged 21 years and below on June 1st 2014, are eligible for Talent Radar.
How often will these be published? The rankings will be updated and published every fortnight, along with our Talent Radar Team of the Week.
On what basis are these rankings made? These rankings are purely based on our opinion of the players and their performances. Our opinions are based on various factors; if you do have a question/criticism/feedback about the inclusion/exclusion of a player, then do leave a comment below.
What’s the point of all this? Good question. Well for one thing, it’s fun (isn’t it?). Secondly, we always track the progress and performances of youngsters under our Talent Radar feature. Those who are featured here and in our weekly, monthly pieces, will also be recognised in our end of season Talent Radar Young Player Awards and ofcourse will also influence our hugely popular 100 Best Young Players to Watch list (at the end of the calendar year).
So here is the first issue of the Talent Radar Player Rankings, with this particular piece featuring the Top 5 Young Goalkeers so far in 2014/15 across Europe’s six main league (Serie A is yet to kick-off). Just to clarify further, there is no goalkeeper eligible for this from both the Premier League and the Eredivise (yet).
More Talent Radar Player Rankings → // Defenders // Midfielders // Forwards
The Goalkeepers position is always going to be difficult to maintain; there isn’t a plethora of choices but there is a dearth of quality. Last season’s winner of the Best Young Goalkeeper award at the Talent Radar Young Player Awards 2013/14, Thibaut Courtois, is ineligible for this by just a few days and hence won’t be able to retain his crown. Other quality young keepers like Bernd Leno who will have regular first team football are also not eligible.
So in the absence of the obvious choices, these young goalkeepers currently place in the Top 5. Loris Karius was a common fixture in the Talent Radar Team of the Week last season, he gets into this list as well and we are certain that he will eventually rise; though it should be noted that he has got in here purely due to a lack of other options. The 21-year-old didn’t have a great game against Paderborn in the opener by any means, but he’ll get better. Exciting thing at Mainz is that Stefanos Kapino, named in that Talent Radar list of 100 Best Young Players to Watch-Out for in 2014 (in the goalkeepers’ category) is also at the club for competition.
Timo Horn started off life in the Bundesliga at newly promoted FC Koln with a clean sheet against last season’s big disappointment, Hamburg. But the Top 3 is dominated by Ligue 1 players, who all featured in one of the three Talent Radar Team of the Week articles published so far this season.
The man on loan from Paris Saint-Germain at Bastia, Alphonse Areola, leads the way on the back of recent good showing against Toulouse. Compatriot Maxime Dupe was the keeper in the first Team of the Week this season, while young 19-year-old Mouez Hassen took his chance after Ospina’s sale to Arsenal with a good performance in the second game week (he hasn’t been that good otherwise).
The list is still pretty raw & bland since we’ve hardly had enough football and thus a severe lack of options. Personally do have hopes of some keepers who are yet to perform or feature, so this could look very different as the season (and weeks) progress. Staggering that these players are all 21 (except Hassen whose 19), and are playing first-team football between the posts for their domestic clubs.
| # | PLAYER | AGE | CLUB | NATIONALITY | TOTW |
| 1 | Alphonse Areola | 21 | Bastia (on loan from PSG) | France | 1 |
| 2 | Maxime Dupe | 21 | Nantes | France | 1 |
| 3 | Mouez Hassen | 19 | Nice | France | 1 |
| 4 | Timo Horn | 21 | Koln | Germany | 0 |
| 5 | Loris Karius | 21 | Mainz | Germany | 0 |
Written by Sami Faizullah. Chief Editor of this website. Thoughts on the first Young Goalkeepers’ Talent Radar Player Ranking of the season?
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