Goalkeeper is a unique role in football that requires a specific blend of attributes, not always easy to find.
They must be brave, athletic, acrobatic, strong, single-minded, unflappable and, following the Pepification of the game over the last decade, incredibly technical on the ball, too.
Glovemen with the right mix, therefore, are becoming increasingly expensive, but as this list will prove, a big fee doesn’t always lead to success.
10. Giorgi Mamardashvili (Liverpool, 2024) - £29m
A nod to just how expensive goalkeepers have become lies here, with Liverpool forking out the 10th largest fee in world football for a goalkeeper who has arrived at Anfield as back-up.
The Georgia international was signed from Valencia in 2024 for a fee of £25m plus £4m in potential add-ons, but will have his work cut out unseating Alisson, the man he will hope to one day replace.
9. David Raya (Arsenal, 2024) - £30m
The signing of David Raya from Brentford, originally on loan in 2023 before being made permanent a year later, caused a stir at first, battling with Aaron Ramsdale for the no.1 spot at the Emirates.
Clinching the Premier League Golden Glove in his first season, Raya won that war, and his performances since making his £27m move, plus £3m loan fee for the first season, leave the deal looking like a bargain compared to some on this list.
8. James Trafford (Manchester City, 2025) - £31m
One of the latest entries to this top ten, there may be some disquiet at the Etihad that they had to fork out £31m for a gloveman they had in their academy just a few years prior.
But James Trafford has unquestionably grown as a player during his time with Burnley, letting in just 16 goals all season as the Clarets were promoted back to the Premier League.
7. Jasper Cillessen (Valencia, 2019) - £31.4m
Barcelona will have few complaints with their dealings here, having recruited Jasper Cillessen from Ajax for just £12.8m in 2016, using him just 32 times in three years, before flogging him to Valencia for £31.4m three years later.
Persistent injury issues and regular unseatings by Jaume Domenech and, later, Mamardashvili meant that Los Che never really got their money’s worth.
6. Ederson (Manchester City, 2017) - £34.7m
Having cycled through the likes of Joe Hart and Claudio Bravo, Pep Guardiola finally found his man in Ederson, lifting him out of Benfica for £34.7m.
He has been a strong shotstopper at points, but was always valued more for what he could do with his feet, remaining a key feature throughout City’s most successful-ever period.
5. Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid, 2018) - £35m
After patiently waiting for his opportunity at Chelsea with a lengthy secondment to Atletico Madrid, four seasons proved enough for Thibaut Courtois with the Blues, forcing through his £35m move to Real Madrid in 2018.
It would prove an inspired decision, the Belgian more or less nailing down the starting berth at the Bernabeu, a noteworthy feat considering the insatiable spending of Los Blancos.
4. Andre Onana (Manchester United, 2023) - £47.2m
Manchester United looked to have moved decisively to appoint the successor to David de Gea, once Erik ten Hag had decided he needed a refresh between the sticks, appointing a man who had just made it to the Champions League final with Inter Milan.
Questions have remained over the Cameroonian ever since, with costly mistakes highlighted and back-up goalkeeper Altay Bayindir seemingly taking his place at the beginning of the 2025/26 season.
3. Lucas Chevalier (Paris Saint-Germain, 2025) - £47.7m
Paris Saint-Germain were the team on everyone’s lips following their long-awaited Champions League triumph at the end of the 2024/25 season; few expected wholesale squad changes.
It was therefore something of a shock when goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was replaced by new signing Lucas Chevalier. His debut, against Tottenham Hotspur in the Super Cup, but he still has plenty of time to amend that first impression.
2. Alisson (Liverpool, 2018) - £67m
Ask for thoughts on the world’s best goalkeeper, and it won’t be long until you hear Alisson’s name dropped.
He wasn’t cheap, but he was worth it; the final missing piece of Jurgen Klopp’s puzzle, which saw the Reds go on to lift the Champions League in his first season, and add a Premier League title a season later.
1. Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea, 2018) - £71.6m
It may be some time until Kepa Arrizabalaga’s £71.6m move is usurped on this list, and whoever takes the crown will hope for more success than the Spaniard found.
Brought in to replace Courtois, Kepa is probably most remembered for refusing Maurizio Sarri’s instruction to come off in the 2019 Carabao Cup final.
Loans to Real Madrid and Bournemouth followed, before the 30-year-old pitched up at Arsenal to become Raya’s understudy.
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