Bright young shot-stopping things

Under The Spotlight: Matt Watts on the EFL's youthful stars between the sticks.

Welcome to Under The Spotlight, a written spin-off to our Under The Lights podcast, written by Matt Watts. This column is all about interrogating the topics and themes of individuals and teams that shine bright in the EFL.

One of the themes of the 2024/25 EFL season has been outstanding young goalkeepers. In fact, 209 clean sheets have been kept in the EFL so far this season by keepers who were under the age of 23 as of 1 August 2024. Of those keepers, ten have kept ten or more clean sheets in the league this season, and three are currently on course to win (or at least share) the Golden Gloves in their respective divisions. But who are these young stars between the sticks?

James Trafford (Burnley)