Skip to main content
SI

The Best Young Goalkeepers to Sign in EA FC 27 Career Mode—Ranked

These young goalkeepers could become your long-term No. 1 in EA FC 27 Career Mode.
Robin Risser has a high ceiling.
Robin Risser has a high ceiling. | Sathire Kelpa/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

Building a great squad in EA Sports FC 27 Career Mode is all about finding the right talent before everyone else does.

Goalkeepers can be especially tricky. You need someone capable of performing now, but ideally young enough to develop into a long-term No. 1 without completely blowing your transfer budget.

With that in mind, we’ve rounded up 10 goalkeepers aged 23 or younger who combine strong current ratings with plenty of room to grow.

To keep things realistic, every player on the list is valued at less than $40 million.


Honorable Mentions

Matthieu Epolo
Matthieu Epolo is an option from abroad. | TOM GOYVAERTS/BELGA MAG/AFP/Getty Images

Before we get into the top 10, there are plenty of other young goalkeepers who deserve an honorable mention.

Among them are Matthieu Epolo of Standard Liège, Lukáš Horníček of Newcastle, Guillaume Restes of Toulouse, Simon Eriksson of Racing Santander, Renato Marin of CD Nacional, Áron Yaakobishvili of Almería, Pierce Charles of Queens Park Rangers, Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro of AZ Alkmaar, Radek Vítek of Middlesbrough and Enis Kamga of Kaiserslautern.

All are young, relatively affordable options with plenty of potential, making them worth keeping on your scouting list if you’re looking for a future No. 1 without breaking the bank.


Best Young Goalkeepers to Sign in EA FC 27 Career Mode

10. James Trafford (Leeds United)

James Trafford
Trafford is Leeds’ new No. 1. | Mark Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Rating: 79
Potential: 85

James Trafford’s underwhelming spell at Manchester City—through no fault of his own, it must be said—has seen his ceiling drop slightly in this edition of EA FC compared to last year.

Still, he remains an appealing goalkeeper with a scanned face and a “sweeper keeper” profile that makes him particularly useful for possession-heavy teams.

The main drawback is his relatively high release clause, which could make him a costly addition for clubs working with a tighter budget.


9. Mio Backhaus (SC Freiburg)

Mio Backhaus
Mio Backhaus has bags of potential. | Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

Rating: 77
Potential: 85

Mio Backhaus is a particularly appealing option if playing out from the back is central to your tactics.

The 22-year-old’s strong distribution makes him an attractive Bundesliga-based option, while his scanned face is a nice added touch. His 71-rated kicking is the main area that could use some attention as he develops.


8. Florian Hellstern (SpVgg Greuther Fürth)

Florian Hellstern goalkeeper
Florian Hellstern is a bargain. | Selim Sudheimer/Getty Images

Rating: 66
Potential: 86

Hellstern is the bargain option.

At just 18 years old, he costs only $2.4 million and already has an 86 potential rating. He is currently on loan, meaning you may have to wait before bringing him in, but the price and upside make him an excellent project for clubs operating on a smaller budget.

His four-star weak foot is another major bonus for managers who want their goalkeeper comfortable playing as an extra option in possession.


7. Konstantinos Tzolakis (Hull City)

Konstantinos Tzolakis
Konstantinos Tzolakis joined Hull in the summer. | Bruce Rollinson/PA Images/Getty Images

Rating: 79
Potential: 86

Konstantinos Tzolakis offers an intriguing combination of size, reflexes and potential, while his 79 overall rating means he is already close to being ready to step straight into the starting XI.

Having only recently moved to the Premier League with Hull City, negotiations could be a little more complicated. But if your club can afford the deal, the Greek goalkeeper is certainly worth considering.


6. Robin Roefs (Sunderland)

Robin Roefs
Roefs had an excellent first season in the Premier League. | Alfie Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Rating: 81
Potential: 86

Robin Roefs is one of the more complete goalkeepers available, combining an 81 rating with an 86 potential.

His relatively manageable wages also make him an attractive option for clubs that want a goalkeeper capable of stepping straight into the starting XI.

The catch? There isn’t quite as much development left as with some of the younger names on this list.


5. Jonas Urbig (Bayern Munich)

Jonas Urbig Bayern Munich
Jonas Urbig has a bright future. | Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images

Rating: 79
Potential: 86

With Manuel Neuer still occupying the No. 1 spot at Bayern Munich, Jonas Urbig could be an interesting player to target on Career Mode.

He isn’t the cheapest option, but his 86 potential and solid distribution make him a useful long-term investment. A loan could also be worth exploring if a permanent move proves too expensive.


4. Mike Penders (Chelsea)

Mike Penders Chelsea
Penders is a great, but expensive, option. | Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

Rating: 79
Potential: 86

At only 20, Chelsea’s Mike Penders offers plenty of upside. He boasts a high ceiling, strong diving and kicking, and stands a massive 6'7"—making him an imposing presence between the sticks.

One slight drawback is his two-star weak foot, which makes him less suited to teams that demand their goalkeeper play aggressively out from the back. His wages could also prove a stumbling block, particularly for clubs working with a tighter budget.


3. Bart Verbruggen (Brighton & Hove Albion)

Bart Verbruggen
Bart Verbruggen is ready to go in EA FC 27. | Jorge Horsted/News Images/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Rating: 81
Potential: 87

Bart Verbruggen is already one of the more polished goalkeepers on this list, making him a natural fit for a club aiming to compete at the highest level.

His 81 rating is backed up by an impressive 84 reflexes, while an 87 potential suggests he can still take another significant step forward.


2. Dennis Seimen (Stuttgart)

Dennis Seimen Stuttgart
Dennis Seimen has bags of potential. | Bernd Weißbrod/Picture Alliance/Getty Images

Rating: 72
Potential: 87

If your Career Mode budget is a little tighter, Dennis Seimen is your man. He’s incredibly affordable at just $5.6 million, has a high ceiling and already boasts well-rounded attributes, including solid reflexes, kicking and diving.


1. Robin Riser (RC Lens)

Robin Risser Lens
Risser is one of the best young keepers in EA FC 27. | Pavel Lebeda/Soccrates/Getty Images

Rating: 81
Potential: 87

Robin Risser looks like the complete package for a club with serious ambitions.

Already rated 81, he is more than capable of starting for most teams from the outset, while his strong diving and reflexes give him an elite foundation to build on. A three-star weak foot also makes him comfortable playing out from the back, adding another layer to his appeal for possession-heavy sides.


EA FC 27 Career Mode: Best Young Keepers—Ranked

Rank

Name

Club

Age

Rating

Potential

Value

10.

James Trafford

Leeds United

23

79

85

$25.9m

9.

Mio Backhaus

SC Freiburg

22

77

85

$23.6m

8.

Florian Hellstern

SpVgg Greuther Fürth

18

66

86

$2.4m

7.

Konstantinos Tzolakis

Hull City

23

79

86

$34.5m

6.

Robin Roefs

Sunderland

23

81

86

$35.7m

5.

Jonas Urbig

Bayern Munich

22

79

86

$35.1m

4.

Mike Penders

Chelsea

20

78

86

$30.5m

3.

Bart Verbruggen

Brighton & Hove Albion

23

81

87

$38m

2.

Dennis Seimen

Stuttgart

20

72

87

$5.6m

1.

Robin Risser

RC Lens

21

81

87

$38.5m


READ THE LATEST EA FC NEWS AND UPDATES

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Published | Modified
Barnaby Lane
BARNABY LANE

Barnaby Lane, better known as Barney, is a soccer writer for SI FC. With nearly a decade of experience in the industry, he has worked for a range of household-name publications in both the United States and the United Kingdom, and has interviewed some of the world’s biggest athletes—from Usain Bolt and Rafael Nadal to Christian Pulisic (though his favorite interview remains Adebayo Akinfenwa). Barney specializes in Premier League soccer, covering everything from the nostalgia of years gone by to the modern, vastly different landscape of today’s game. He also has experience reporting on La Liga and Major League Soccer, the latter of which he developed a particular affinity for during his university days at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.