Despite displacing Petr Cech as the Chelsea No 1 to be a mainstay in the Blues’ title win less than 18 months ago, Thibaut Courtois has become statistically the worst goalkeeper in the Premier League.
A promising start to the season under Antonio Conte has disappeared after successive defeats by Liverpool and Arsenal, and this latest development will give the Italian plenty of food for thought.
The 24-year-old has a save percentage of 47.1 so far this season, meaning he is letting more opposition shots on target hit the back of his net than not.
The man whose place he took in the Chelsea starting line-up finds himself eighth in the league table, with a more than respectable save percentage of 70.8.
But leading the way at the top are Manchester City and Tottenham No 1s Claudio Bravo and Hugo Lloris, who have stopped 77.8 per cent of shots on target each.
Bravo’s lofty position on the list provides early vindication for Pep Guardiola’s decision to dispense with England No 1 Joe Hart in favour of the former Barcelona shot-stopper.
Surprisingly, it is Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton who follows those two in third place.
With a save percentage of 76.5 he is statistically the best English goalkeeper in the Premier League, despite earning just one senior cap so far in his career.
Trailing just behind the 30-year-old is West Brom stalwart and fellow countryman Ben Foster, on 75 per cent, though he has not played for England since the 2014 World Cup.
Last season’s title-winning No 1 Kasper Schmeichel is sixth in the table with a save percentage of 72.7, ahead of Sunderland’s Jordan Pickford and Cech.
David de Gea’s place in the bottom-half of the table at 13th is a surprise, with the Manchester United No 1 saving only 65 per cent of shots on target.
He sits ahead of Liverpool’s Simon Mignolet, who saves only just over half of shots on target at 55.6 per cent, though he has recently lost his place in the first-team to Loris Karius.
Alongside Courtois in the bottom three are Middlesbrough’s summer signing Victor Valdes and England hopeful Fraser Forster of Southampton.
