Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has picked who he thinks is the best goalie in the Premier League right now between Arsenal’s David Raya, Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez, Liverpool’s Alisson and Manchester City’s Ederson.
The Danish was one of the best in the world in goal during his playing days, and he believes the Man City star is the best in the English top-flight at the moment, insisting that his counterparts at Arsenal and Villa are getting close, while the Liverpool star is only behind him due to some of his struggles with playing out from the back.
Schmeichel explained on the latest episode of the Stick to Football podcast why he is picking Ederson ahead of Raya, Martinez and Alisson.
Neville: “Looking at goalkeepers now in the Premier League that you think ‘I think he is the best at his job’, who is it?”
Schmeichel: “Ederson.”
Neville: “Is Ederson the best? Why not Martinez or Alisson?”
Schmeichel: “I think Raya is coming close now. He’s really impressed me. I think once he got established as Arsenal’s number 1 and that sort of competition situation got out of the way, especially after Ramsdale left, there is a different aura around him.
“I think he has actively played well, he’s kept his team in a few games, made some really important saves, but also he has eradicated a lot of those mistakes he made from having to be a good footballer. I’ve not seen that this season.
“I think Alisson, in terms of one-on-one and making really big saves, I think he’s fantastic.”
Neville: “I thought you would go Alisson because of the fact that I see more of Alisson in you than I see Ederson in you.”
Schmeichel: “I think Alisson struggles a bit with his feet, I think that’s the few mistakes you don’t see from Ederson. That’s the only thing.
“Martinez. He has proven Arsenal wrong for sure, and I think he is helping that team a lot. Will he be able to do the job at Man City? To be honest I don’t know, but he is a winner and he is getting there as well.”
While Raya won the Golden Glove last season and also made the PFA Team of the Year after Arsenal finished second, it was Ederson who won his fourth consecutive (and sixth) Premier League title with Man City.
The three-time Premier League Golden Glove winner is perfect with his feet and hands, but he is behind his Liverpool rival Alisson in the pecking order for Brazil.
The two-time Premier League Golden Glove has been the preferred option in goal for the South Americans and that is unlikely to change anytime soon.
Martinez was brilliant yesterday to help Villa secure a 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League, and the Argentina international continues to prove why he has won a World Cup and two Copa America titles.