#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 for each position will be published once in three weeks, so one week we’ll have the rankings for Goalkeepers/Defenders go up, the next week will be Midfielders, the the Forwards the following week and back to the Goalkeepers/Defenders the week after and so on. Our Talent Radar Team of the Week will of course be published every week so you have some content to read on a weekly basis.
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).
TALENT RADAR PLAYER RANKINGS → Defenders // Midfielder // Forwards
The Talent Radar Player Rankings took a bit of a sabbatical for about a month, which means we’ve had plenty of games to take into consideration before publishing the latest version. While an extended period of games does give food for though and potential for changes in the rankings, there isn’t too much of that in the goalkeepers category.
5. ALESSIO CRAGNO // 20 // Cagliari // Italy
Having flown under the Talent Radar at the start of the season, Alessio Cragno was gifted a first-team opportunity at Cagliari after first-choice keeper Simone Colombi was sidelined with injury. Initially having struggled to set in, his best performance came away at the San Siro in a memorable 4-1 victory against Inter. He impressed against the other Milan club as well before most recently facing the aforementioned Perin’s Genoa, being denied a Team of the Week appearance by an incredible Karius display.
4. MATTIA PERIN // 22 // Genoa // Italy
Staying in 4th since the previous issue, Mattia Perin continues to remain a big prospect in Italy. Widely regarded as a potential replacement for Buffon, his most impressive performance came against the defending champions as Genoa beat Juventus 1-0. Having said that, consistency again has been lacking though the improvement since last season is evident, with a more confident and mature Perin emerging.
3. ALHPONSE AREOLA // 21 // Bastia // France
The man on loan from PSG drops down one place since the previous issue, following a drop in form that led to coach, Claude Makelele’s dismissal. Though he did put in a few good performances, including one away to Nice that earned him a spot in the Talent Radar Team of the Week, but a string of four poor performances followed during which he conceded 9 goals that sees the side lingering just above the relegation zone.
2. TIMO HORN // 21 // Koln // Germany
If anyone can displace Loris Karius atop from the Top 5 Young Goalkeepers rankings his fellow German youngster, Timo Horn, could be a good bet. Having made two further clean-sheets since the previous issue, the 21-year-old is now joint second in the Bundesliga clean sheets table, behind only Manuel Neuer. Despite this, Horn is yet to make a Talent Radar Team of the Week appearance. Despite arguably being the most consistent keeper, he is yet to put in an outstanding performance, every week beaten by someone slightly more spectacular.
1. LORIS KARIUS // 21 // Mainz // Germany
The young German has by far been the most outstanding young keeper, topping the rankings and unlikely to be displaced any time soon. With the Mainz defence often leaving it’s keeper exposed, Karius has needed to be at the top of his game. The side have drawn 6 of their 11 games in the league this season, with Karius’ saves often being the difference. Arguably his best performance came in the recent 0-0 draw away to Leverkusen, including a world-class save to deny Karim Bellarabi, which earned him a spot in the Talent Radar Team of the Week. It was his fourth appearance in the feature and second since the previous Top 5 Young Goalkeepers issue, after having appeared earlier for his performance against Borussia Monchengladbach.
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Written by Sami Faizullah
