Alphonse Areola (£4.3m) is the most popular goalkeeper in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) &#8211; but with just one clean sheet in 12 games, is he a pick who justifies his ownership?
Here, we take a look at the Hub&#8217;s <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta">Opta stats</a> and <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/predictions">AI</a> to see if the West Ham number one is worth holding and whether it would be worth using a transfer to upgrade him.

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<h2>How many FPL managers own Areola and why is he so popular?</h2>
Areola started the season as a £4.0m goalkeeper, a price tag usually reserved for backup shot stoppers.
He was a sought-after pre-season pick, as there were rumours he could take over from Lukasz Fabianski (£4.2m).
His starting spot was far from certain though, while another budget option in Nottingham Forest&#8217;s Matt Turner (£4.1m) looked a secure bet to start the campaign as number one.
Areola has since grown to be the most popular goalkeeper pick in the game, with 37.3% ownership.
The former PSG player has had three price rises and would now cost buyers £4.3m, edging him towards the typical starting price for a number one of £4.5m.
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<div id="attachment_59646" style="width: 907px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-59646" class="size-full wp-image-59646" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Areola-stats-2.jpg" alt="Alphonse Areola's stats" width="897" height="731" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Areola-stats-2.jpg 897w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Areola-stats-2-300x244.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Areola-stats-2-768x626.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Areola-stats-2-610x497.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 897px) 100vw, 897px" />Alphonse Areola&#8217;s <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="FPL Stats by OPTA - Player and Team Stats">stats</a></div>
But for those who invested in him early he can be considered a bit of a gem, given he has started every league game.
And his stock has risen further since Turner lost his place to Odysseas Vlachodimos (£4.5m) in FPL Gameweek 11.
Those who want to upgrade Areola to a goalkeeper who has scored more FPL points would have to spend at least £4.6m.
This is important context before delving into the <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="FPL Stats by OPTA - Player and Team Stats">stats</a> &#8211; and with pressures on most managers&#8217; budgets given they have Erling Haaland (£14.0m) and Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) to fit into their squads, having a cheap, starting goalkeeper allows the funds to be spent elsewhere.
Despite this, Areola&#8217;s performances are of more importance now Turner looks to no longer be a reliable option.
Around a quarter of the top 250,000 FPL teams have the Areola-Turner double up, a much more popular combination than pairing one with a more premium pick.
Rotation is no longer an option for these managers, so they may begin to scrutinise him more closely.
<div id="attachment_59647" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-59647" class="size-full wp-image-59647" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Areola-Getty.jpg" alt="Alphonse Areola. Picture by Getty Images" width="1024" height="732" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Areola-Getty.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Areola-Getty-300x214.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Areola-Getty-768x549.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Areola-Getty-610x436.jpg 610w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Alphonse Areola. Picture by Getty Images</div>
<h2>How have Areola and West Ham performed?</h2>
Areola is the eighth-highest scoring goalkeeper in the game, with 40 points.
He has one clean sheet and two bonus points, while he has earned 12 points from his 44 saves. Only four players have stopped more shots.
A 10 point haul in Gameweek 2, in which he saved a penalty and collected his only two bonus points, was his best return of the season so far.
Returns have dried up since West Ham&#8217;s clean sheet against Sheffield United in Gameweek 7, with Areola scoring eight points in five games.
Burnley are the only team to have conceded more goals in that time, with the Hammers shipping three in both of their last two matches and four at Aston Villa.
Their underlying defensive <a href="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/opta/" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c="1" title="FPL Stats by OPTA - Player and Team Stats">stats</a> don&#8217;t look promising either.
David Moyes&#8217; men have conceded 22 goals (17th) this season, with an expected goals conceded (xGC) tally of 22.4 (16th).
It is a disappointing record, given last season they were midtable for xGC and kept nine clean sheets.
<div id="attachment_59648" style="width: 1292px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-59648" class="size-full wp-image-59648" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Goals-conceded.jpg" alt="Goals conceded between FPL Gameweek 1 and 12" width="1282" height="753" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Goals-conceded.jpg 1282w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Goals-conceded-300x176.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Goals-conceded-1024x601.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Goals-conceded-768x451.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Goals-conceded-610x358.jpg 610w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Goals-conceded-1080x634.jpg 1080w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Goals-conceded-1280x753.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1282px) 100vw, 1282px" />Goals conceded between FPL Gameweek 1 and 12</div>
Defensive errors have been highlighted in both player and manager interviews, with Moyes saying his side should have &#8216;defended better&#8217; against Brentford in Gameweek 11.
He even likened their defending for one goal to the &#8216;Keystone Cops&#8217; &#8211; a nod to the fictional UK TV policemen renowned for making silly mistakes.
&#8216;Huge individual errors&#8217; were highlighted by the Scot following the Villa game too.
The one silver lining for Areola owners is that in the absence of clean sheets, save points have been relatively easy to come by.
West Ham have conceded 200 shots, with only Bournemouth and Sheffield United facing more. Of these, 67 were on target, the joint-fourth most.
This has enabled Areola to keep ticking over and make the top 10 for overall points scored.
<h2>Is it worth upgrading Areola in FPL?</h2>
Liverpool&#8217;s Alisson (£5.6m) is the top-scoring goalkeeper, with 56 points.
There is no real standout performer in this position, particularly in the £4.5m-£5.0m price bracket.
Sam Johnstone (£4.6m) has kept the joint-most clean sheets (five), with the Crystal Palace man second in the overall points standings.
Six goalkeepers, including Areola, are behind Johnstone on between 40 and 48 points, including Bernd Leno (£4.7m) and Robert Sanchez (£4.6m).
<div id="attachment_59649" style="width: 1292px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-59649" class="size-full wp-image-59649" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Top-scoring-goalkeepers-GW1-12.jpg" alt="Top-scoring FPL goalkeepers" width="1282" height="753" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Top-scoring-goalkeepers-GW1-12.jpg 1282w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Top-scoring-goalkeepers-GW1-12-300x176.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Top-scoring-goalkeepers-GW1-12-1024x601.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Top-scoring-goalkeepers-GW1-12-768x451.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Top-scoring-goalkeepers-GW1-12-610x358.jpg 610w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Top-scoring-goalkeepers-GW1-12-1080x634.jpg 1080w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Top-scoring-goalkeepers-GW1-12-1280x753.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1282px) 100vw, 1282px" />Top-scoring FPL goalkeepers</div>
There is little to separate Areola from the rest then, while that is also reflected in <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/ai-team-rating">Hub AI&#8217;s</a> predicted points.
Areola ranks 13th for predicted points between Gameweek 13 and 17 &#8211; but Ederson (£5.5m) at the top is forecast to score 21.3, a difference of just 3.3.
This suggests changes in other positions may be a more pressing priority.
<h3>Rotation options?</h3>
West Ham also have good upcoming fixtures. Their games are fourth best according to the <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fixture-ticker">Hub ticker</a> over the next six gameweeks, beaten by Burnley, Fulham and Nottingham Forest.
There could be a case for those with Areola and Turner to upgrade the latter to Leno or Johnstone.
Both Fulham and Palace&#8217;s fixtures offer the opportunity to rotate their goalkeepers with Areola, although some FPL managers prefer to have a set-and-forget option.
A total of 7.75% of the top 250,000 managers have Areola and Leno already, with the Areola-Johnstone approach favoured by 4.86%.
The Hub AI&#8217;s early Wildcard team opts instead for Brentford duo Mark Flekken (£4.5m) and Thomas Strakosha (£3.9m), however the majority of managers will no longer have the chip in hand.
In most cases therefore, holding and playing Areola looks to be a reasonable plan, with the hope West Ham begin to tighten up to complement the Frenchman&#8217;s save points.
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<div id="attachment_59650" style="width: 1292px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-59650" class="size-full wp-image-59650" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Goalkeeper-predicted-points-GW13-17.jpg" alt="Goalkeeper predicted points over the next five FPL gameweeks, according to Hub AI, with Ederson leading the way but the field tightly packed" width="1282" height="753" srcset="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Goalkeeper-predicted-points-GW13-17.jpg 1282w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Goalkeeper-predicted-points-GW13-17-300x176.jpg 300w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Goalkeeper-predicted-points-GW13-17-1024x601.jpg 1024w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Goalkeeper-predicted-points-GW13-17-768x451.jpg 768w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Goalkeeper-predicted-points-GW13-17-610x358.jpg 610w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Goalkeeper-predicted-points-GW13-17-1080x634.jpg 1080w, https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Goalkeeper-predicted-points-GW13-17-1280x753.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1282px) 100vw, 1282px" />Goalkeeper predicted points over the next five gameweeks</div>
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Is Areola justifiably FPL’s most popular goalkeeper – and is he worth replacing?

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