5 Goalkeepers Who Deserve An Upgrade

The January transfer window came to an official end last night, which means only one thing. A new database update.

Amongst all the player transfers and manager movements, players are bound to be given upgraded (and even some downgraded) stats.

Here are 8 goalkeepers that I think should be given an upgrade in the new database update.

1. Jordan Pickford (Sunderland)

There is absolutely no doubt that Jordan Pickford has single handedly kept Sunderland in games this season, as without him, The Black Cats would probably already be relegated by now.

His excellent reflexes and agility is exactly why Arsenal were rumoured to be sniffing around for the 22-year-old, with Sunderland facing a possibly tussle in the summer to keep the in-form goalkeeper, whether they remain a Premier League team or not.

With Pickford one of the top performing goalkeepers this season, I think he deserves a boost to his stats.

2. Tom Heaton (Burnley)

Burnley have done exceptionally well in this Premier League campaign, sitting very comfortable in 10th place, and most of the credit lies with this man.

Tom Heaton, like Pickford, has kept The Clarets in games, and saved them vital points this season, with the 30-year-old going from strength to strength.

Although his stats in FMM 2017 are quite high anyway, I still think he deserves a little increase in some of his stats, especially agility. 

3. Yoan Cardinale (OGC Nice)

Football fans often refer to Ligue 1 as a 'boring' league, with Paris-Saint Germain dominating the league in the last few years. This season, however, is a little bit different. OGC Nice sit second in the table and are currently battling with PSG and AS Monaco to gain the crown of French champions.

Dante, manager Lucien Favre and Mario Balotelli have all played their part in Nice's rise to the summit of French football, but one players who goes under the radar is Yoan Cardinale.

The 22-year-old got his big break last season, making 25 appearances before claiming the number 1 spot for the 2016-2017 season.

Yoan Cardinale certainly deserves an upgrade in his stats, including key stats such as agility, reflexes and handling.

4. Andre Onana (Ajax)

Ajax have a long and proud history of producing some of football's finest players, including the likes of the late Johan Cruyff, Dennis Bergkamp, Wesley Sneijder and Tottenham Hotspur's Christian Eriksen.

The next name on the long list could be this man. Andre Onana. The 20-year-old Cameroonian started the 2016-2017 in the Ajax reserves, but was promoted to the first team, where he looked to battle for the number 1 shirt with Newcastle United's Tim Krul.

Krul's loan stay was cut short, as he was then loaned to fellow Dutch club AZ Alkmaar, giving Onana the perfect opportunity with just 3 months of the season left.

The youngster has produced some sterling performances this season, and he'll only continue to grow.

Looking at his stats, he definitely deserves upgrades in some areas of his stats, including his handling and reflexes.

Remember the name.

5. Gianluigi Donnarumma (A.C. Milan)

What a year and a half Gianluigi Donnarumma has had. Making his competitive debut for AC Milan back in October 2015, he then went on to make his Italy debut in September 2016, as he's gone on to become one of Europe's top keepers, and certainly a long-term replacement in the national side for Gianluigi Buffon.

At just 17-years-old, he's already become AC Milan's first choice goalkeeper, appearing in every game since his debut. He made a blistering start to the 2016-2017 campaign, saving a penalty to deny Andrea Belotti to give his side the 3 points.

The picture above shows the amount of saves per game Donnarumma has made since October 2015, all the way to May 2016. As you can see, he made roughly 4 saves per game throughout the whole of last season, excluding the 9 he made at the back end of the season.

His stats are already high, including his communication, handling and reflexes, but I still think he could do with a few more upgrades in the reflex department. This lad will only keep growing.

Hope you enjoyed this article. Feel free to leave comments below. Thank you!

 

[Dec]

Nice work @Robbrown172. Never even heard of Onana but looking forward to trying him now on the update so consider this successful

[Robbrown172]

6 minutes ago, Dec said:

Nice work @Robbrown172. Never even heard of Onana but looking forward to trying him now on the update so consider this successful

Thanks Dec  He's been rated as one of the most promising young keepers this season. Ajax are known for producing some of the best players, so hopefully Onana is another one to add to that list.

[BatiGoal]

Good list. Agree with all of them.

@Dec shame on you for not following the Dutch Eredivisie enough!

[PriZe]

Onana is the surprise of the season for me personally. Very young but already a solid GK which we needed after Cilissen went to Ajax. Great you picked him up in this overview!!! 

[Jens]

I'm sadd to see you left out Loris Karius

J/k Mignolet for president.

[Fish18ish]

Think Claudio Bravo needs 20s for every stat,great replacement for Hart.