January transfer debate: Why Man U should pick a super saver closer to home
Costel Pantilimon
Aye, it’s me again, Bob Friendly! As soon as we got the Premier League back, it was gone again as we got to enjoy the FA Cup over the weekend instead. All those underdogs, bobbly pitches and tiny grounds bring back a lot of memories for me. It did mean a lot of our star keepers got a bit of a break, and boy did some of them need it – in particular Brad Guzan and Costel Pantilimon (pictured).
While the Premier League is back for some midweek games – a real treat for us footie fans – we are having a wee look at the transfers. It is all still a bit quiet on that front, but apparently Manchester United are preparing to sign a 17-year-old Italian goalkeeper for £30m! When I was 17 I don’t think £30m even existed. I think they should look closer to home, there are plenty goalkeepers offering great returns for their teams in the UK.
Keep an eye out on Twitter @scotfriendly because I have been active in the transfer market and nabbed myself a promising young goalkeeper. If you are able to guess who I have signed, you may be in with a chance to win a wee prize.
How the Super Saver league table works
Here at Scottish Friendly we thought we would highlight just how important keepers are to a team, after all they are savers in their own right! We imagine each game without keepers and take the number of shots on target by each team as the result. By looking at it this way, we can see which goalies have been busy winning their team points, while also finding out which ones are holding their team back.
| Team | W | D | L | Shots on target + | Shots on target – | Shots + / – |
Pts | League table + / – |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tottenham Hotspur | 16 | 3 | 1 | 124 | 62 | 62 | 51 | 3 |
| Man City | 15 | 3 | 2 | 129 | 57 | 72 | 48 | 1 |
| Arsenal | 12 | 4 | 4 | 114 | 76 | 38 | 40 | -2 |
| Liverpool | 11 | 4 | 5 | 94 | 66 | 28 | 37 | 4 |
| Leicester | 11 | 3 | 6 | 95 | 83 | 12 | 36 | -3 |
| S’hampton | 10 | 4 | 6 | 93 | 70 | 23 | 34 | 7 |
| Crystal Palace | 10 | 2 | 8 | 88 | 81 | 7 | 32 | 0 |
| West Ham | 10 | 2 | 8 | 95 | 90 | 5 | 32 | -2 |
| B’mouth | 8 | 5 | 7 | 79 | 79 | 0 | 29 | 7 |
| Man United | 8 | 4 | 8 | 75 | 68 | 7 | 28 | -5 |
| West Brom | 8 | 3 | 9 | 63 | 77 | -14 | 27 | -1 |
| Watford | 8 | 2 | 10 | 75 | 75 | 0 | 26 | -3 |
| Chelsea | 8 | 2 | 10 | 83 | 93 | -10 | 26 | -1 |
| Swansea | 7 | 4 | 9 | 74 | 80 | -6 | 25 | 3 |
| Newcastle | 6 | 3 | 11 | 66 | 111 | -45 | 21 | 3 |
| Norwich | 6 | 2 | 12 | 71 | 93 | -22 | 20 | -1 |
| Everton | 4 | 6 | 10 | 92 | 98 | -6 | 18 | -6 |
| Stoke City | 4 | 4 | 12 | 64 | 87 | -23 | 16 | -8 |
| Aston Villa | 4 | 1 | 15 | 65 | 100 | -35 | 13 | 1 |
| Sunderland | 3 | 1 | 16 | 70 | 124 | -54 | 10 | -1 |