The £4.0m bargain FPL goalkeeper deal that every player must sign for their team this season

Ever since this season’s Fantasy Premier League went live, I’ve been trying to help players build the best possible squad for Gameweek 1 – and as part of that, I offered up some advice on which budget-friendly goalkeepers players should consider choosing. Now, however, a forthcoming transfer deal could change everything.

A £4.0m goalkeeper is almost a necessity for every FPL team, but few such players get onto the pitch. Some players prefer to find a cheap goalkeeper who’s been sent out on loan to avoid the chance of a price drop hurting their finances. Others select the back-up to their first choice. But on the occasions that a goalkeeper at the lowest possible price point becomes a starter, they become almost essential – and that could be about to happen at Burnley.

Why Martin Dúbravka could become an essential FPL asset

The Athletic are among the outlets reporting that newly-promoted Burnley are in talks to sign 36-year-old Slovakia international Martin Dúbravka from Newcastle United to help fill the void left by James Trafford, who has left Turf Moor to return to Manchester City.

With Newcastle signing Aaron Ramsdale, Dúbravka has become surplus to requirements at St. James’ Park and he was available for transfer the moment that the Ramsdale deal went through. If he does indeed complete a move to Burnley, however, it has significant ramifications for the Fantasy Premier League.

Dúbravka was expected to be a back-up this season and is priced accordingly at just £4.0m. If he goes to Burnley, he will be competing for the starting job, and if he wins it then he becomes a rare and valuable asset – a minimum-priced player who starts games and scores points.

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The fact that Burnley’s defence was watertight last season makes signing the Slovakian even more appealing. While they won’t be able to keep up quite the same standards in the Premier League, Scott Parker’s side were extraordinarily stingy at the back in the Championship, conceding just 16 goals in 46 matches and keeping a record-breaking 30 clean sheets.

Trafford was a part of that, of course, as was departed centre-back C.J. Egan-Riley, but it was also a product of Parker’s system and playing style. It wouldn’t be surprising if Burnley had a remarkably miserly defence in the new season, especially by the standards of newly-promoted teams.

Should Dúbravka earn the starting spot, then he becomes a £4.0m goalkeeper with a very high ceiling indeed. That would allow rotation when the other goalkeeper in your squad has a tough fixture, power up bench boosts (of which players get two this year) and perhaps even allow further savings for players by providing the option to own two £4.0m goalkeepers. The ceiling is very high indeed.

Why Dúbravka could still be a risk even if he moves to Burnley

Of course, nothing is ever entirely straightforward in the FPL, and there is a risk attached to starting the season with Dúbravka on the bench – if he doesn’t win the starting job, then signing him will prove to be a costly error. Burnley have already bought 21-year-old goalkeeper Max Weiß from Kalsruher this summer, and the young German, who started 34 second tier games in his home country last season, will provide some pretty stiff competition for Dúbravka.

The fee of £4.3m which Burnley paid for Weiß doesn’t necessarily suggest that he was signed as a starter, but he was between the sticks during a recent friendly defeat to Stoke City having come on at half-time for Václav Hladký against Huddersfield. Hladký, another goalkeeper on the books at Burnley, was Trafford’s back-up last season and probably isn’t going to be their starter in the Premier League, but it’s possible that Weiß edges out Dúbravka.

Should that happen, then plenty of players who started the season with Dúbravka in their squad will sell in a panic, causing his price to drop and hurting your team’s financial outlook when it’s time to play your wildcard.

Risk-averse players will want to avoid that and may choose to swerve Dúbravka as a result – but those who are aiming to maximise their scoring potential and to win tough mini leagues should make the move with the maximum upside, and that’s selecting Dúbravka if he does indeed complete his transfer.

The Slovakian’s experience and proven Premier League quality – he was a very capable deputy for Nick Pope last season – should give him an edge in the battle to be Burnley’s number one. It’s not guaranteed and the deal hasn’t even been completed yet, but unless Parker makes it clear that Weiß will be his first choice heading into the new campaign, picking Dúbravka is set to be a choice which offers a significant reward for FPL players who take the plunge.