Goalkeepers can be the most important players on some teams, with some being incredibly talented. However, some in the Championship can be better than others, but who is the best the league has to offer?
The Championship is one of the most unpredictable leagues in the world, where any team can win any game, no matter the circumstances prior to the fixture.
With this in mind, positions that may be undervalued in higher divisions tend to shine in the second tier of English football.
Goalkeepers never normally get the credit they deserve, with some being vital to their team’s successes this season, but who are the best and worst keepers in the division? We have ranked them from 24th all the way to 1st.
24th- Conor Hazard
Plymouth Argyle
League position does not help his case, but with a season plagued by injuries as well as only starting since January sees Conor Hazard rank bottom of our rankings.
He has conceded 33 goals in just 21 matches and has only managed two clean sheets in between the sticks for the Pilgrims as they sit bottom of the Championship. Again, with a poor defence in front of him, it does not help his statistics.
He may have been the hero at Home Park for their shock victory over Premier League Champions-elect Liverpool, but as far as league action, it has been a season to forget for Hazard.
23rd- Jak Alnwick
Cardiff City
Another keeper who has had a season he will likely want to forget is Jak Alnwick at Cardiff, who has also been a part of a team that has struggled massively.
He was a mainstay in the Bluebirds’ side until his season-ending injury in late February, but his 45 goals conceded until that point ranks him near the bottom in comparison to his fellow goalkeepers in the division.
Conceding at least two goals on eleven separate occasions this season, as well as conceding the most goals in a single game by any goalkeeper this season in their 7-0 defeat to Leeds United, it is safe to say Alnwick will not look back on this season fondly.
22nd- Jacob Widell Zetterstrom
Derby County
A goalkeeper has suffered massively with inconsistency throughout this campaign. Jacob Widell Zetterstrom has had a difficult introduction to English football after his move from Djurgarden in the summer.
Although he has made over 100 saves this season and has shown some signs of promise, his save percentage numbers as well as his goals conceded statistics, do not rank well within Championship keepers.
There has certainly been signs of promise from Zetterstrom, but it has been an overall mixed start to life in England for the Swede.
21st- Illan Meslier
Leeds United
This may be a shock to some, but many fans of the Championship will know that it has been a disastrous season for Illan Meslier in goal for Leeds.
On the surface, Meslier is the keeper for the team currently top of the Championship. However, there is a strong argument that his mistakes this season have prevented Leeds from being promoted early to the Premier League.
From his Sunderland away mishaps to his dual errors costing them a point at home to Swansea recently, which has cost him his starting job, it may not come to matter by the end of the season, but Meslier will struggle to keep his job next season if they do get promoted.
20th- Joe Wildsmith
West Bromwich Albion
This ranking may have gone differently for West Brom had Alex Palmer not left for Ipswich Town in January. Since then, they have used two other goalkeepers, but Joe Wildsmith has been the most prevalent.
Only making 10 league appearances before being swapped out for Josh Griffiths, Wildsmith certainly had his struggles, but overall was a solid enough option for the Baggies in their playoff push.
It is difficult to rank Wildsmith any higher, considering he has barely played before being dropped, but his time at Derby showed he can be a solid option at this level. But he has had a difficult season in the Midlands this year.
19th- Egil Selvik
Watford
Another keeper who has a very small sample size to judge is Egil Selvik of Watford, who has only made 12 appearances for the Hornets.
Despite this, the 27-year-old Norwegian who joined from FK Haugesund has shown some massive promise in his limited time in the Watford goal, as he looks to be the club’s long-term solution to a long-standing struggle at the position.
It is again difficult to rank him any higher due to his lack of game time so far, but he could rank much higher on this list next season if he continues his recent form.
18th- Freddie Woodman
Preston North End
A former Golden Glove winner at this level with Swansea City just a few years ago, it has not been the career trajectory that Freddie Woodman would have expected since then.
Now, with Preston, he has made 138 appearances for the Lancashire outfit in the last three seasons. However, this season has been very up-and-down for the 28-year-old as he has been the blame for many of Preston’s defeats this season.
Woodman will be out of contract in the summer, so his time with the Lilywhites may be over. Despite a tough year, he has proven to be a solid keeper at this level at times.
17th- Angus Gunn
Norwich City
Another keeper with a huge pedigree but has struggled throughout this campaign is Angus Gunn.
The former Manchester City academy graduate and England U21 International has made a handful of Premier League appearances throughout his career, but this season his struggles have been more evident than ever before.
With just six clean sheets in 33 games for the Canaries this season, it has not been his finest work, but Gunn is still a solid keeper at this level, and there have been plenty worse off than him this season.
16th- James Beadle
Sheffield Wednesday
One of the highest-regarded goalkeeping prospects last season in the league, but James Beadle has not had the best of years this time around with Sheffield Wednesday.
Per 90 minutes, only Daniel Grimshaw of Plymouth has conceded more goals than Beadle, with him conceding 59 overall throughout his 38 league appearances for the Owls this season.
Now being dropped for Pierce Charles at the tail end of the campaign, Beadle will return to his parent club with a point to prove. However, at just 20 years of age, he has plenty of time to grow as a keeper.
15th- Nicolas Schmid
Portsmouth
Another keeper who took over during the season as the starter, since Nicolas Schmid did become Portsmouth’s starter, he has shown some very impressive signs.
The Austrian replaced Will Norris as the starter in October and has been a huge part of their charge to potential safety in the league after being promoted last season. He has also managed an astonishing two assists from his net this year.
He ranks top ten in many metrics as a keeper, and despite his inconsistencies, he has proven to be a solid addition this season for Pompey and will be their starting keeper moving into next season.
14th- Mark Travers
Middlesbrough
It seems to be a pattern of goalkeepers at clubs in the Championship changing throughout the season, and Middlesbrough are the perfect example of that happening with Mark Travers.
After Seny Dieng’s poor start to the season and Mark Glover not being up to the task, Boro loaned in Travers from Bournemouth to be their keeper for the rest of the season. He has plenty of pedigree in this league with his parent club, AFC Bournemouth and has shown a lot of promise in the 13 games he has played.
However, like many players below him on this list, his lack of game time limits him from being any further up the list.
13th- Aynsley Pears
Blackburn Rovers
We now enter the part of the rankings where there is very little to separate a lot of the goalkeepers, but Aynsley Pears ranks just outside the top half of our rankings.
Despite him being fairly mistake-prone and currently suffering from a rough patch of form, only four goalkeepers have more clean sheets than the Englishman this season. Although his season is now over through injury, he has helped Blackburn to a very successful season after a tough year last season.
Overall, his first year as a starter for Rovers for the whole season has been a success, but he just misses out on a top-half ranking here due to his recent struggles.
12th- Thomas Kaminski
Luton Town
Thomas Kaminski begins the top half of this list as a keeper who, despite his team’s bad form, has shone brightly in the Luton goal.
Although his statistics to the eye do not look great, with Luton being in the relegation zone, it can be an unfair reflection on a goalkeeper, especially with how good Kaminski has been at times for Luton this season.
His goals conceded cannot be ignored, though, and that is why he does not make the top ten on our rankings, but there is an argument that without Kaminski, Luton could be in an even worse position.
11th- Anthony Patterson
Sunderland
If this was a ranking last season, Patterson would arguably be in the top five goalkeepers in the division, but he has regressed slightly this season, which sees him drop down in the rankings.
His statistics rank amongst the best in the league, with 14 clean sheets and only 36 goals conceded. However, his mistakes do sometimes go unnoticed due to how good Sunderland’s defence has been this season.
Patterson is still a brilliant keeper at this level, but he has not quite lived up to the £15-£20 million price tag that was set for him at the start of the season and just misses out on the top ten of our rankings.
10th- Paul Nardi
QPR
Now we hit the point of the rankings where the very best keepers in the league sit, with Paul Nardi of QPR beginning the top ten after a brilliant season with QPR.
After joining on a free transfer from Gent in the summer, he had a slow start to life in the Championship. Since then, however, his inspired performances have steered QPR far away from relegation trouble.
The 30-year-old has proven himself as a valuable asset, and manager Marti Cifuentes trusts Nardi massively as his goalkeeper moving forward.
9th- Lukas Jensen
Millwall
A team on an inspired run for the playoffs, Lukas Jensen has been a vital part of Millwall’s success with some stellar performances in goal this season.
After a brilliant season in League One with Lincoln City last season, Jensen has stepped up yet again with another season with over ten clean sheets, as Millwall are on for yet another season competing for the playoff places.
Alex Neil is now at the helm, and with his reputation, he will trust Jensen to be a vital part of his defensive setup moving forward at The Den.
8th- Max O’Leary
Bristol City
Now in his third season as a starter for the Robins, O’Leary is having the best season of his career this year, with his side in an uncharted fifth place in the Championship.
Although he has made some mistakes throughout the season, he has double figures for clean sheets and has received high praise from both the fans and manager Liam Manning for his efforts that have helped them reach the top six.
He is seemingly improving each season, but this year, especially, he has been a huge asset for Bristol City.
7th- Jamie Cumming
Oxford United
Another keeper who could have been higher on this list if his team had performed better, Jamie Cumming has been arguably the biggest part of Oxford’s unlikely success this season.
Despite a slow start to the season under Gary Rowett, Cumming’s success has been evident, with the O’s keeper being highly credited as the reason why Oxford are getting closer to securing Championship survival against all the odds.
After being a part of the club’s return to the second tier and now seemingly the main driver in their potential survival, Cumming will be a hugely sought after commodity in the upcoming transfer window.
6th- Ivor Pandur
Hull City
After a rough start to his time in Humberside, Ivor Pandur has a huge shout to be Player of the Season for the Tigers in what has been a hugely disappointing campaign.
Pandur’s goalkeeping this season is a huge reason as to why they sit just outside of the relegation zone at present, with the Croatian international setting himself as one of the best keepers in the division.
He has also managed to only concede 48 goals this season, a hugely impressive tally considering the poor form the Tigers have found themself in throughout the campaign.
5th- Lawrence Vigouroux
Swansea City
After not playing football for a year on the bench at Burnley and signing for the Swans for free in the summer, expectations were not too high for Lawrence Vigouroux this season, but he has proven everyone wrong.
The Chilean international has now cemented himself as one of the very best in the division, with many Swansea fans adamant that their season would have gone in a much worse direction without Vigouroux in their goal.
Swansea now look forward to next season after more or less securing their survival, and any success they have moving forward, Vigouroux will play a huge part of it.
4th- Oliver Dovin
Coventry City
Just missing out on a place in the top three is Oliver Dovin of Coventry, who has been vital to Coventry’s remontada in the second half of this season under Frank Lampard.
The 22-year-old Swede has been fantastic in between the sticks for the Sky Blues, with his statistics taking a huge jump since Lampard’s arrival in Coventry, coinciding with their amazing run of form.
His season is now over due to injury, and Coventry will struggle to secure a playoff spot without their star man in goal for the remainder of the campaign.
3rd- Viktor Johansson
Stoke City
One of the very best keepers in this division for a while now, Johansson is only bettered in this list by two fantastic keepers.
After making the move to Stoke from Rotherham, Johansson is the main reason as to why the Potters are now seemingly going to avoid relegation after what has been a miserable year to be a Stoke fan.
The Swedish international has somehow managed 12 clean sheets this year, despite a relegation battle for most of this season. He is truly a fantastic keeper who may look to join a team competing for promotion next season.
2nd- Michael Cooper
Sheffield United
After a brilliant season at Plymouth last season, Cooper has taken another step up this season with Sheffield United, as he has cemented himself as a top-three goalkeeper in the league this season.
The 25-year-old has been superb for the Blades, with 19 clean sheets from the campaign so far, despite some poor defensive displays being bailed out by the Englishman.
If the Blades fail to secure promotion this season, Cooper will certainly have interest from the Premier League next season, and he will likely be as impressive there as he has been this season.
1st- James Trafford
Burnley
A name a lot of you would have expected to be top here, but who else could top this list this season than James Trafford?
The fully fledged England international has been part of arguably the best Championship defence of all time. He has conceded just 13 goals in 41 matches and has kept an astonishing 28 clean sheets as Burnley look set to return to the Premier League.
Trafford has huge potential at just 22 years of age to be a fantastic keeper for years to come, but this season has been nothing short of unbelievable for the Englishman.
All statistics via transfermarkt