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#7 Edouard Mendy | Chelsea
To assess the kind of impact a composed goalkeeper can have on a club's fortunes, we do not need to look beyond Chelsea and their £22 million signing of the season, Edouard Mendy.
The Senegalese goalkeeper was signed to replace Kepa, Europe's most expensive goalkeeper. He took the responsibility in his stride and wrapped up his debut season with the second-most clean sheets in the Premier League.
It's not just that he has been good with his hands, he also ranks second in passes completed by a goalkeeper. The 29-year-old helped make crucial saves in the Champions League against Real Madrid and now faces the ultimate task of guarding Chelsea's goal against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League final next Saturday. (If he is fit)
#6 Emiliano Martinez | Aston Villa
It's always great to see players who've been the number two choice at their clubs go out and redeem themselves. Former Arsenal goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has had a dream debut season with Aston Villa and his performances between the sticks is one of the main reasons why the club could finish 11th this campaign, a huge improvement from their 17th-place finish in 2019-20.
The Argentine secured a move from the Gunners to Aston Villa in the summer and has played every single game for them. He is third in clean sheets this term (15) and equalled Brad Friedel's club record for most shutouts in a season.
He is now in contention to make his debut for Argentina's first team at the Copa America, thanks to his incredible reflexes and a 76.6% save ratio, second only to Nick Pope in the EPL.
#5 Mike Maignan | Lille
Mike Maignan is the unlikely goalkeeper with the most clean sheets across Europe's top five leagues. The Lille goalie has enjoyed a great season between the sticks, conceding just 23 goals and keeping 21 clean sheets as well. His commanding presence at the back has been a key factor in Lille's impressive Ligue 1 triumph.
The Paris Saint-Germain youth product could not make a senior appearance for them but has established himself as the first-choice keeper for Les Dogues. While the quality of opposition faced by him is certainly not on the same level as other goalkeepers on the list, for a keeper to have recorded more than 20 clean sheets in a 38-game season is a commendable achievement.
#4 Manuel Neuer | Bayern Munich
This list wouldn't have been complete without the inclusion of Manuel Neuer, arguably the best goalkeeper of all time. Though 'The Best FIFA Goalkeeper 2020' winner has been able to keep just nine clean sheets this term, he was able to equal Oliver Kahn's record for the most clean sheets in Bundesliga history with 204 shutouts.
At 35, he still has one of the best reflexes in Europe and his ability to make one-hand saves remains unmatched. This term, though he conceded the most goals in a single campaign for Bayern Munich since joining them in 2011, his ability with the ball, distribution skills and quickness in coming off his line has been crucial to Bayern's aggressive high line play.
Also read: 10 highest-paid players in La Liga this season (2020/21)
