Goalkeepers In The English Football League Championship

13 September 2026

By M J Kocx

Goalkeepers.


Often, football clubs view goalkeepers as a vital piece of the jigsaw puzzle when assessing squad composition. 


The truth is, they are.


The less goals conceded, the more likely a football club is to have a successful season.


Let us consider the statistics of three English Football League (EFL) Championship players to illustrate the valuation of goalkeepers in the 2025/26 EFL season:

o	Christian Walton (Ipswich Town F.C.), 

o	Max O’Leary (West Bromwich Albion F.C.), and 

o	Radek Vitek (Bristol City F.C.).


Christian Walton
Position: Goalkeeper 
EFL Championship Appearances: 37
Clean sheets: 16 
Clean sheet percentage: 43.2%
Age: 30 
Club: Ipswich Town F.C.
Finishing Position: 2nd (gained automatic promotion to the English Premier League) 
Goals conceded by player: 37 


Max O’Leary 
Position: Goalkeeper 
EFL Championship Appearances: 21
Clean sheets: 10
Clean sheet percentage: 47.6%
Age: 29
Club: West Bromwich Albion F.C.
Finishing Position: 21st  
Goals conceded by player: 18


Radek Vitek 
Position: Goalkeeper 
EFL Championship Appearances: 41
Clean sheets: 12
Clean sheet percentage: 29.3%
Age: 22
Club: Bristol City F.C.
Finishing Position: 12th 
Goals conceded by player: 54



Based off these statistics, in my opinion, several conclusions can be drawn:

o	Max O’Leary outperformed Christian Walton and Radek Vitek, despite his team finishing 21st in the EFL Championship.

o	Max O’Leary was the standout in terms of clean sheets, in comparison to Christian Walton and Radek Vitek. 

o	Max O’Leary conceded fewer goals than both Christian Walton and Radek Vitek, despite playing a lot less games. 

o	Christian Walton outperformed Radek Vitek by some margin in terms of clean sheet percentage and overall goals conceded. 


Goalkeepers.

They can make or break a season.


From 

Yours truly,