Football Manager 2019: Best Young Goalkeepers

Goalkeepers. The last line of defence between you and defeat. Finding a good one can be tough as consistency and reliability is rare. Often you have to wait for a goalkeeper to hit 30 before they really settle down and become as good as top teams need them to be, but not always.

How to choose the best young goalkeepers in Football Manager 2019

This article will look at the best young goalkeepers in FM19. These players are all under 23 and have a current ability of 123 or more with plenty of room for improvement, giving you a decade or more of quality play. However, they won't be cheap. This summer saw the record transfer fee for a goalkeeper broken twice in a matter of weeks, resetting the market for shot-stoppers at the very top of club football. To buy one of these guys you may well need to empty your transfer budget, but can you really put a price on a brick wall of a goalkeeper that keeps clean sheets and can launch attacks?

For a full list of ALL the best young goalkeepers in FM19 see the table at the bottom of the page!

Kepa Arrizabalaga (CA 155 - PA 167)

Age: 23

Club: Chelsea

Country: Spain

Best Attributes: Reflexes (17), Handling (16), Communication (16)

Value: £32 million

Wage: £155,000 a week

Kepa Arrizabalaga came up through the Atletico Bilbao youth system and made his debut with the farm team Basconia in 2012. He made his La Liga debut in September 2016 with Bilbao and ended up making 53 appearances before Chelsea activated his £71 million release clause in the summer, making him the most expensive goalkeeper ever.

In FM 19 Kepa is great already. He has solid mental attributes for a player his age (15 concentration, 14 composure, 13 positioning), and is a quality shot-stopper (17 reflexes, 16 handling, 15 one on ones).

Gianluigi Donnarumma (CA 150 - PA 175)

Age: 19

Club: Milan

Country: Italy

Best Attributes: Jumping Reach (18), Reflexes (17), Teamwork (17)

Value: £18.75 million

Wage: £190,000 a week

Gianluigi Donnarumma has long been considered the future of goalkeeping. He was the youngest goalkeeper to ever play for Italy when he won his first cap at 17 years old, barely a year after he made his Serie A debut. Donnarumma is not yet 20 but has already made over 100 appearances for AC Milan.

In FM 19 Donnarumma already has outstanding mental attributes (17 teamwork, 15 composure, 15 determination) and is a good athlete too (18 jumping, 16 balance, 16 agility). Donnarumma is an excellent shot-stopper (17 reflexes, 15 one on ones, 14 handling) and is good against crosses and set pieces too (16 aerial reach, 14 command of area).

Thomas Strakosha (CA 145 - PA 159)

Age:  23

Club: Lazio

Country: Albania

Best Attributes: Reflexes (18), Jumping (17), Determination (16)

Value: £13.75 million

Wage: £32,000

Thomas Strakosha started his career with Panionios in Greece in 2011 but made a €75,000 transfer to Lazio just a year later. After a spell in the youth teams and out on loan, he made his debut in September 2016 for Lazio and they haven't looked back since.

With Kepa and Donnarumma locked into big money contracts Thomas Strakosha may well be the most affordable of the top-tier young goalkeepers in FM19. He already has good mental attributes (16 determination, 15 positioning, 15 decisions) and is a good athlete too (17 jumping, 15 agility, 14 pace, 14 acceleration). He is strong in the air (15 aerial reach, 15 handling) and against shots (18 reflexes, 15 one on ones).

Pau Lopez (CA 142 - PA 160)

Age: 23

Club: Real Hispalis

Country: Spain

Best Attributes: Determination (16), Reflexes (15), Passing (15)

Value: £6.5 million

Wage: £25,000 a week

Pau Lopez came up through the Espanyol youth academy, making his first-team debut with the team in December 2014 and went on to make 67 appearances before signing with Real Betis this summer on a free transfer.

Lopez is a good keeper in Football Manager 2019. He has strong mental attributes (16 determination, 15 concentration, 14 positioning) and good shot-stopping stats (15 reflexes, 14 handling, 13 one on ones). He is also a good distributor of possession (15 passing, 14 throwing, 13 kicking) which is a nice addition to any team that expects to control the ball during a game.

Ruben Blanco (CA 141 - PA 156)

Age: 22

Club: Vigo

Country: Spain

Best Attributes: Agility (16), Bravery (16), Reflexes (15)

Value: £6.5 million

Wage: £21,500 a week

Ruben Blanco has only played with Celta Vigo in his career. He joined them in 2010 when he was 15 and made his La Liga debut with them just before his 18th birthday. He has gone on to play 44 games for them to date and has been capped by Spain up to Under-21 level.

In FM 19 Blanco has some excellent attributes already but also a few holes in his game. He is athletically strong (16 agility, 15 pace, 14 jumping) and has a couple of very useful mental attributes (16 bravery, 15 decisions). He is also a solid shot-stopper (15 reflexes, 13 handling) but things like rushing out (6) and his leadership (1) are a slight worry and will need careful training.

Unai Simon (CA 139 - PA 157)

Age: 21

Club: Atletico Bilbao

Country: Spain

Best Attributes: Natural Fitness (17), Anticipation (16), Passing (16)

Value: £5.5 million

Wage: £21,000 a week

Unai Simon has played his whole career with Atletico Bilbao, joining their youth system in 2011 and progressing up the ranks. His path to first team football seemed to be blocked by Kepa Arrizabalaga, and he played over 50 games for the reserve side awaiting his chance, but after Kepa's transfer to Chelsea and an injury to Iago Herrerin he got his debut with the team in August 2018.

In FM 19 Simon a very good athlete (17 natural fitness, 16 acceleration, 15 jumping) with solid shot-stopping skills (14 reflexes, 12 one on ones). His biggest asset is excellent distribution (16 passing) and some strong mental attributes (16 anticipation, 15 bravery, 14 determination).

Andre Onana (CA 136 - PA 155)

Age: 22

Club: Ajax

Country: Cameroon

Best Attributes: Jumping (16), Natural Fitness (16), Determination (16)

Value: £5 million

Wage: £17,000 a week

Andre Onana came to Europe to join the Barcelona youth system in 2010. He stayed with them for five years before signing with Ajax. He spent a year with their reserve side and was then called up to the senior team in 2016 and has already played over 50 games for the Dutch side. He's also been capped six times by Cameroon.

In FM 19  Onana is a solid goalkeeper. He has good goalkeeper stats across the board (15 aerial reach, 15 reflexes, 14 one on ones, 14 handling, 13 passing) and has some well-developed mental attributes too (16 determination, 15 bravery, 15 composure). Onana is also a solid athlete (16 jumping, 15 agility) which helps his other stats shine.

Alex Remiro (CA 135 - PA 155)

Age: 23

Club: Atletico Bilbao

Country: Spain

Best Attributes: Acceleration (17), Pace (16), Jumping (16)

Value: £3.4 million

Wage: £17,000 a week

What is in the water down in Bilbao? Alex Remiro is another product of the Atletico Bilbao youth system, joining in 2009. He is yet to play a game for Bilbao, but after starring in the reserve side he's seen action on loan with Levante and Huesca as he develops his talents.

In FM 19 Remiro has terrific athleticism (17 acceleration, 16 pace, 16 jumping) which helps him in every aspect of goalkeeping. His shot-stopping skills are good (16 reflexes, 15 aerial reach, 14 one on ones) and he has some well-developed mental attributes already (15 positioning, 14 teamwork, 14 bravery).

Alex Meret (CA 135 - PA 169)

Age: 21

Club: Napoli

Country: Italy

Best Attributes: Agility (18), Reflexes (17), Handling (16) 

Value: £5.5 million

Wage: £32,000 a week

Alex Meret started his career with Udinese and has been a potential Football Manager star for a long time. He has spent the last two years on loan with SPAL in Serie B and then made a huge €35 million to Napoli in summer 2018.

In FM 19 Meret has some excellent goalkeeping stats already (17 reflexes, 16 aerial reach, 16 handling). That is combined with good mental attributes (16 determination, 14 teamwork, 14 work rate) and solid athleticism (18 agility, 14 jumping) to create a goalkeeper who is already a good player but could become great with the right development.

Dominik Livakovic (CA 134 - 150)

Age: 23

Club: Dinamo

Country: Croatia

Best Attributes: Handling (17), Rushing Out (15), Concentration (15)

Value: £1.4 million

Wage: £1,800 a week

Dominik Livakovic started his career with NK Zagreb, making his league debut in August 2012 at 17 years old. He played over 100 games for NK Zagreb before moving to Dinamo Zagreb in 2016 where he was quickly the first-choice goalie. He has also won three caps for Croatia.

In FM 19 Livakovic is a solid keeper. He has some superb goalkeeping stats (17 handling, 15 rushing out, 15 aerial reach) and is a good athlete (15 natural fitness, 14 strength, 14 agility) which helps all of his other stats shine. Mentally he is good too (15 concentration, 14 positioning, 14 composure) and he has plenty of room to grow as well.

All the best young goalkeepers on Football Manager 2019

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