Shot stoppers: Keepers with the most saves from Europe’s big five

The best goalkeepers in the world are often ranked by who has the most clean sheets and who concedes the least goals overall.

But there are plenty of talented keepers who are playing for teams with shoddy defences, and they do not get the credit they deserve for their performances.

This article ranks the GKs who have made the most saves this season, from the Premier League, La Liga, the Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1, while also showing their number of clean sheets and goals conceded so you can see how these stats correlate.

Premier League

Leeds United have had a difficult season, but it could have been a whole lot worse if it wasn’t for their talented French goalkeeper, Illan Meslier.

The 22-year-old has made an impressive 113 saves this season, and despite also conceding the most goals of any PL keeper, most people agree that Meslier has had a fantastic campaign.

It is unsurprising that he has been linked to the likes of Barcelona and Manchester United in the past and who knows where his career can take him.

1. Illan Meslier (Leeds United)

Played: 30

Conceded: 66

Clean Sheets: 3

Saves: 113

2. David de Gea (Manchester United)

Played: 29

Conceded: 40

Clean Sheets: 7

Saves: 105

3. Jose Sa (Wolves)

Played: 30

Conceded: 26

Clean Sheets: 11

Saves: 99

4. Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester City)

Played: 27

Conceded: 46

Clean Sheets: 5

Saves: 97

5. Lukasz Fabianski

Played: 29

Conceded: 38

Clean Sheets: 7

Saves: 86

 

La Liga

Luis Maximiano of Granada CF is another excellent young goalkeeper with a lot of potential. He has made 96 saves this season, six more than second-placed Jeremias Ledesma, despite playing three fewer matches.

Granada are only two points away from relegation with nine games left to play, so Maximiano will have to continue his good form to ensure their safety.

He is on the radar of both Barcelona and Juventus, so he will doubtless be making a move to a big club at some point soon in the future.

1. Luis Maximiano (Granada CF)

Played: 26

Conceded: 40

Clean Sheets: 5

Saves: 96

2. Jeremias Ledesma (Cadiz)

Played: 29

Conceded: 41

Clean Sheets: 9

Saves: 90

3. Diego Lopez (Espanyol)

Played: 28

Conceded: 38

Clean Sheets: 9

Saves: 87

4. Matias Dituro (Celta Vigo)

Played: 29

Conceded: 32

Clean Sheets: 11

Saves: 78

5. Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)

Played: 29

Conceded: 25

Clean Sheets: 12

Saves: 78

 

German Bundesliga

Lukasz Hradecky has been a top keeper for many years and this season has been no different, as he has made 104 saves in 26 matches and his form has been key to keeping his team third in the league.

The Bayer Leverkusen number one had a successful stint at Eintracht Frankfurt, before joining them  in 2018.

He also has 74 caps for Finland, so he is clearly very highly valued by his club and country.

1. Lukasz Hradecky (Bayer Leverkusen)

Played: 26

Conceded: 39

Clean Sheets: 6

Saves: 104

2. Kevin Trapp (Eintracht Frankfurt)

Played: 26

Conceded: 37

Clean Sheets: 4

Saves: 101

3. Yann Sommer (Borussia Monchengladbach)

Played: 27

Conceded: 51

Clean Sheets: 4

Saves: 100

4. Stefan Ortega (Arminia Bielefeld)

Played: 26

Conceded: 38

Clean Sheets: 6

Saves: 93

5. Mark Flekken (SC Freiburg)

Played: 25

Conceded: 22

Clean Sheets: 9

Saves: 90

 

Italian Serie A

Another keeper that the big clubs are sniffing around for is Guglielmo Vicario of Empoli, who has been linked with Lazio as well as several Premier League clubs.

The 25-year-old has made 113 saves in 30 matches, which has no doubt kept his side away from the relegation zone.

Despite conceding the second-most goals in the Serie A, Vicario is very highly rated and has potential to improve.

1. Guglielmo Vicario (Empoli)

Played: 30

Conceded: 55

Clean Sheets: 5

Saves: 113

2. Salvatore Sirigu (Genoa)

Played: 30

Conceded: 47

Clean Sheets: 9

Saves: 100

3. Lukasz Skorupski (Bologna)

Played: 29

Conceded: 44

Clean Sheets: 9

Saves: 94

4. Ivan Provedel (Spezia)

Played: 23

Conceded: 35

Clean Sheets: 5

Saves: 87

5. Alessio Cragno (Cagliari)   

Played: 27

Conceded: 49

Clean Sheets: 0

Saves: 85

 

French Ligue 1

Jonas Omlin has only played 83% of Montpellier’s games this season, after missing out on six matches to second-choice keeper Dimitry Bertaud.

But if you compare both these keeper’s stats, you can see his quality.

Omlin has conceded just 28 goals in 24 matches, keeping nine clean sheets. Comparing that to Bertaud, who conceded 12 in six games for Montpellier.

Clearly, you can see how much of a difference the Swiss international makes to his team.

1. Jonas Omlin (Montpellier)

Played: 24

Conceded: 28

Clean Sheets: 9

Saves: 99

2. Anthony Lopes (Olympique Lyon)

Played: 28

Conceded: 36

Clean Sheets: 8

Saves: 92

3. Marco Bizot (Stade Brestois)

Played: 29

Conceded: 43

Clean Sheets: 5

Saves: 88

4. Walter Benitez (Nice)

Played: 28

Conceded: 22

Clean Sheets: 12

Saves: 86

5. Gauthier Gallon (Troyes)

Played: 29

Conceded: 42

Clean Sheets: 7

Saves: 82