10 Worst Goalkeepers in Premier League History [Ranked]

Being a goalkeeper, especially in the perennially watched Premier League, is tough with thousands of eyes on you every weekend, waiting for your next blunder to hit the headlines. All it takes is one game-defining mistake for their reputation to be forever tarnished.

Take former Liverpool man Lorius Karius as the prime example – a fine stopper on his day, but his costly mistake in the 2018 Champions League final, one that the Reds ultimately lost thanks to his lapse in concentration, will always spring to mind above all.

He’s not alone, however. For every Edwin van der Sar and Petr Cech, there are plenty of shot stoppers that have flattered to deceive under the bright lights and pressure of the English top division. Ranked in order, using the following factors, here are the 10 worst goalkeepers in Premier League history.

Ranking Factors

• Memorable blunders in the top flight.
• Time spent in England.
• Status among Premier League aficionados.
• Calibre of their overall career.
• Evident spells of subpar performances.

10

Danny Ward

Notable clubs: Liverpool, Leicester City

Standing tall, literally and hypothetically, as the only current player on this list is Leicester City’s Danny Ward. He once had a chance to stake a claim for Liverpool’s number 1 jersey, but is now behind Mads Hermansen in the pecking order at the King Power Stadium, having made one too many mistakes when chosen.

Despite being experienced on the international stage, having racked up 44 caps for Wales, the Wrexham graduate’s time in the Premier League seems all but done, given his status continues to decline every time he puts on the gloves. The 31-year-old has, at the time of writing, played 51 games for the Foxes and has kept just 18 clean sheets in that time frame.

9

Daniele Padelli

Notable clubs: Liverpool

Given that Daniele Padelli played just the solitary game for Liverpool, you can be forgiven for going: ‘Who?!’. Never under permanent contract with the Reds, the Italian spent a mere six months before returning to Sampdoria – a club he had never played for prior to his Premier League spell.

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Lecco-born Padelli, now 39 and plying his trade for Udinese, had impressed for Italy’s youth sides – the Under-20s and Under-21s, most notably – but flattered to deceive on Merseyside. His one – and only – chance to impress came against Charlton Athletic, but his outing was marred by two conceding two soft goals and returning to the bench until promptly returning to his homeland at the end of his short stay.

8

Stuart Taylor

Notable clubs: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Man City, Reading

Across a career spanning 18 years, there was – unfortunately for the Englishman – seldom a moment when Stuart Taylor was the first choice at any of the clubs he turned out for: Arsenal, Southampton, Leeds United, Reading. That’s perhaps best evidenced by his club appearance tally of just 101 over that lengthy time period.

Coming through the academy ranks at Arsenal, there was plenty of promise surrounding the Romford-born shot-stopper, but he was never solid enough to make it in a title-challenging outfit. Post-Gunners, Premier League stints with Aston Villa, Manchester City and Reading followed – but it was always a familiar sight for the four-time FA Cup winner: a view from the substitutes’ bench.

7

Roberto

Notable clubs: West Ham United

Wobbly at best, Roberto was earmarked to become a regular fixture for West Ham United after establishing himself as a more than reliable stopper for Olympiacos in his native Greece, but the hustle and bustle of football in England, even for those who enjoy very little of the action, caused him too many issues.

A fairly risk-free move from the Hammers’ perspective as he arrived at the London Stadium on a free transfer after Lukasz Fabianski, who is now one of the best back-up goalkeepers in the Premier League, sustained an injury that kept him sidelined for around two months. Failing to pounce on the prosperous opportunity, it didn’t take long for the east London-based club’s hierarchy to lose faith in the Spain youth international following a series of simple gaffes. A move to forget for all parties.

6

Andy Marriott

Notable clubs: Nottingham Forest, Sunderland, Birmingham City

An array of names on this list have proven, although goalkeeping in the top flight may not be too onerous a task, that they are reliable in between the posts – but that isn’t even the case for former Sunderland and Wrexham man Andy Marriott, who enjoyed his first taste of top tier action for Nottingham Forest in 1993. Irrespective of the level, he merely flattered to deceive.

Despite being born in Sutton-in-Ashfield, England, Marriott donned the Wales jersey on five occasions – but he enjoyed much less success on the domestic stage after emerging from Arsenal’s academy ranks. He got a second crack of the Premier League whip in 2003 when he joined Steve Bruce’s Birmingham City, but a well-documented gaffe against Robbie Keane “forever haunted” him, according to then-boss Bruce.

5

Stephen Bywater

Notable clubs: West Ham United, Derby County

By virtue of Stephen Bywater being a pivotal part of Derby County’s dismal 2006/07 campaign in the top flight – one that made them among the worst teams since the Premier League’s inception in 1992 – there was always going to be a place for him on this list. Albeit replaced by now-Manchester City third choice Scott Carson midway through the season, the Englishman conceded his fair share of goals, didn’t he?

That was not his first foray into the trials and tribulations of top tier action, though, as he moved to West Ham as a fresh-faced and raring-to-go youngster in 1998. Struggling to usurp the reliable Shaka Hislop, a string of loan spells cemented his place on the periphery.

4

Massimo Taibi

Notable clubs: Manchester United

Manchester United fans may have tried to forget Massimo Taibi’s tumultuous stint in between the sticks, given how the likes of Peter Schmeichel and Edwin van der Sar have performed for them. Born and raised in Palermo, the one-time Premier League winner – commonly regarded as one of the worst players to ever play in the Premier League – was unable to plug the void of the aforementioned Schmeichel’s departure.

Infamous thanks to the size of the club he played for, his fee of £4.5 million was expensive for a goalkeeper at the time – and it’s not unfair to say that he wasn’t worth every penny. If anything, the complete opposite. He racked up just four appearances – one being that mistake-ladened outing against Southampton – and returned to his native Italy.

3

Tony Warner

Notable clubs: Fulham

Tony Warner caught the eye of many Premier League sides after chalking up just north of 200 games for Millwall and eventually signed for Fulham – but the jump from second to first tier football proved to be onerous for the twice-capped Trinidad and Tobago international, who also enjoyed stints with Cardiff City and Tranmere Rovers throughout his stop-start career.

Over his two-year career at Craven Cottage, Warner played just 26 games across all competitions (21 times in the top flight) and endured loan spells at Leeds United, Norwich City and Barnsley before being shipped off to Hull City in the summer of 2008. Now 50 years of age, the Scouser struggled to reach the expected heights and whatever club he played for and embarked on a journeyman career post-Fulham.

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2

Kostas Chalkias

Notable clubs: Portsmouth

Best remembered for his torrid six-game stint with Portsmouth, who now ply their trade in the Championship, between 2005 and 2006 once he left by ‘mutual consent’. 31 years of age at the time, the Greek glovesman was brought to Fratton Park for a nominal fee – and was expected to be their long-time servant between the sticks.

It took the Hampshire-based outfit just five Premier League appearances for the club’s higher-ups – and former director of football Velimir Zajec, in particular – to realise they had made a mistake. A huge shame for the club as Chalkias joined on the back of winning the European Championships in 2004 as Greece’s first-choice between the sticks.

1

Andy Dibble

Notable clubs: Manchester City

While Manchester City and Pep Guardiola can now rely on the brilliance of Ederson and Stefan Ortega – regarded as one of the best back-up goalkeepers in world football – as second fiddle, there was once a time when the very forgetful Andy Dibble, a three-cap Wales international, was among their choices between the sticks.

Before their Premier League dominance, the Welsh journeyman spent nine years in east Manchester and was given a second chance to prove himself at the highest level of English football with Middlesbrough. ‘How did that go?’ I hear you ask. He played twice and conceded a grand total of 11 goals. He then swiftly departed Premier League action.

All statistics per Transfermarkt – correct as of 21/12/24.