5 budget goalkeepers you MUST consider for your 2026-27 FPL team: Trafford, Sanchez, Kinsky… | OneFootball

Leeds United, Chelsea and Tottenham are among the clubs with budget-friendly goalkeepers you ought to consider for your Fantasy Premier League squad in 2026-27.

With the first deadline fast approaching, it’s time to stop tinkering and start making decisions. Chances are you’ll have decided upon an established, reliable goalkeeper like a David Raya or an Alisson, but what about the back-up?

Here are five budget goalkeepers (priced £5.0m and lower) that you should consider putting in your FPL team this season.

Robert Sanchez (£5.0m)

New season, same old question: ‘Chelsea are actually going with Sanchez again?’ It would seem so.

To be fair to the Spaniard, he kept nine clean sheets in a wildly dysfunctional, tenth-place team last term. This season we’d expect him to be considerably better protected with Xabi Alonso at the helm.

Admittedly £5million is stretching the definition of “budget” given that it’s only one less than guaranteed clean sheet machine Raya.

But there is a logic to choosing two solid mid-priced keepers at £10million combined, the same price as Raya and a £4million punt that won’t pick up any points – particularly if you’re going to offset that with an Arsenal defender or two.

Another £5million option alongside Sanchez, you say? Well…

James Trafford (£5.0m)

Leeds United’s record signing is champing at the bit to start every week in the Premier League. Now is his time, the club’s undisputed No.1.

Daniel Farke’s side didn’t keep a lot of clean sheets last season, but that could be about to change. They had the sixth-best ‘xG against’ underlying data in the Premier League since the switch to a back three at the end of November, and Trafford’s record in terms of preventing goals is spectacular.

Trafford kept 29 clean sheets and conceded just 16 goals in Burnley’s 2024-25 promotion campaign and was similarly flawless as Manchester City claimed both domestic cups last term.

Get him and another decent keeper, rotate accordingly with the fixtures, and you won’t necessarily need to splash the cash on Raya.

Antonin Kinsky (£4.5m)

Guglielmo Vicario has joined Juventus on loan for the 2026-27 season, suggesting that Roberto De Zerbi has faith in Kinsky.

The Czech goalkeeper bounced back admirably from his Champions League horrorshow last season to produce a series of solid performances in Spurs’ nail-biting battle against relegation.

De Zerbi’s appointment saw an uptick in Tottenham’s defensive numbers at the end of last season, and the signings of Marcos Senesi and Jean Paul van Hecke ought to see them look considerably more solid at the back this time around.

Bart Verbruggen (£4.5m)

You know what you’re getting with the Netherlands’ No.1. He remains between the sticks for a relatively settled, well-organised Brighton side.

Last season the Seagulls registered the third-fewest goals conceded (46) and the fourth-best ‘xG against’ (48.87). Verbruggen made 106 saves, the third-most of any keeper in the league, and notched 10 clean sheets.

With 130 FPL points last season, a £4.5million price tag looks immensely good value for a guaranteed starter who is among the best in his position in the Premier League.

Djordje Petrovic (£4.5m)

Only David Raya (19) and Gianluigi Donnarumma (15) kept more clean sheets than Petrovic (11) last season.

There is a bit of uncertainty over Bournemouth, following the departures of influential coach Andoni Iraola and key centre-back Senesi, but the Cherries have made a habit of rebuilding successfully.

Last summer they lost three of their back four to Real Madrid, PSG and Liverpool and somehow looked better. Marco Rose has big shoes to fill but we still expect Petrovic’s goal to be relatively well protected.