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In every football team, the goalkeeper is of great importance. A good number of games are decided by the performance of the men between the sticks in football. The likes of Manuel Neuer, Ederson, Alisson, Thibaut Courtois and Jan Oblak are a few examples of some stellar goalkeepers.
As important as it is to have quality goalkeepers, it is equally important to have quality goalkeeping options on the bench. A lot of teams tend to struggle when they lose their first-choice goalkeepers to injury or suspension because they fail to invest in reliable back-up goalkeepers.
Like the other 10 positions on the football pitch, the goalkeeping position should have adequate and high-quality cover.
Being a back-up keeper is one of the hardest jobs in football because game time is usually hard to come by. Some teams have, however, managed to hold on to quality players to fill this role. Without further ado, here is a list of the five most valuable back-up goalkeepers in world football currently.
#5 Kepa Arrizabalaga (€10 Million)
Chelsea triggered Kepa Arrizabalaga's release clause in 2018 to sign him from Athletic Bilbao, making him the world's most expensive goalkeeper. The Blues paid around €80 million to secure the then-23-year-old on a seven-year deal.
A brilliant debut campaign saw him win the UEFA Europa League with the club and reach the Carabao Cup final. However, his career has since been on a downward slope. The Spaniard looked a shadow of his confident self under former manager Frank Lampard. He had a loss of form and confidence that saw him perform poorly for Chelsea.
Lampard even preferred to play 39-year-old Willy Caballero ahead of Kepa in important games. Hence, Chelsea brought in Edouard Mendy to be their new goalkeeper in 2021.
Since Mendy's arrival, Kepa has seen his chances limited greatly as he has made only a handful of appearances. He has made just eight appearances this season, only one in the Premier League.
However, under manager Thomas Tuchel, Kepa had made a remarkable improvement and earned his manager's trust. However, dislodging Mendy as Chelsea's number one looks impossible at present.
Kepa is said to be happy at Chelsea but is looking for viable options where he can play regularly once more. The 27-year-old is now valued at €10 million after a huge drop in his market value since the start of his troubles.
#4 Alphonse Areola (€12 Million)
West Ham United have the luxury of replacing their first-choice keeper Lucasz Fabianski with former Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain custodian Alphonse Areola. Not many clubs in Europe have a keeper of Areola's standing on their bench.
The 28-year-old Frenchman has made nine appearances for the Hammers this season. They have come in the FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Europa League this season and he has kept six clean sheets. Areola is still on the books of PSG as he is presently on his sixth loan spell away from the club.
With the 2022 FIFA World Cup on his mind, it is said that Areola is pushing for more minutes in a West Ham shirt. The three-cap France international is presently valued at €12 million.
#3 Pierluigi Gollini (€13 Million)
Pierluigi Gollini was signed as a backup from Atalanta by Tottenham Hotspur for their captain Hugo Lloris at the start of the season. He was brought in on a temporary basis with a view to making the deal permanent after a year. The 26-year-old Italy international came through the Manchester United academy before moving away to Italy in search of first-team football.
Gollini has made eight appearances for Spurs this season in the domestic cups and UEFA Europa Conference League and kept one clean sheet. The Italian shot-stopper proved himself to be a quality asset to Atalanta before Spurs came calling, and he is looking to do the same in London.
Upon his arrival, he declared that he was excited to understudy and learn from Lloris, and would look to continue on that path. Gollini presently has a market valuation of €13 million.
#2 Bernd Leno (€16 Million)
Arsenal and German goalkeeper Bernd Leno has seen himself drop quickly in the pecking order following the arrival of Aaron Ramsdale last summer. He was the first-choice goalkeeper for just over two seasons before manager Mikel Arteta decided he was not good enough to start for him.
After spending £25 million on Ramsdale from Sheffield United, the Gunners handed him first-choice shirt, effectively relegating Leno to the bench. Ramsdale has proven himself to be a shrewd purchase and played regularly in the Premier League, leaving Leno as their cup goalkeeper.
Leno has played only seven times since losing his shirt to Ramsdale, and has kept two clean sheets in that time. The German remains an excellent shot-stopper and is valued at €16 million at present.
#1 Dean Henderson (€18 Million)
Two years ago, Dean Henderson was one of the most sought-after goalkeepers in the world after a brilliant loan spell at Sheffield United. The Englishman spent two years at Bramall Lane and established himself fully in the Three Lions goalkeeping conversation.
Henderson was being groomed for a return to Manchester United. He was supposed to take over from David de Gea, but the Spaniard has made that impossible. De Gea's excellent form and displays have been at the peril of his young understudy, with every spectacular save of his keeping Henderson firmly on the bench.
Henderson has been linked with a move away from the club and he needs it quickly in order to challenge for the Three Lions shirt again. He had reportedly requested for a move away from interim manager Ralf Rangnick but the latter declined.
The 24-year-old is valued at €18 million, and is the most valuable back-up goalkeeper in world football
