Joe Whitworth – Exeter City / Crystal Palace
Here is a keeper I really like. Normally, I wouldn’t have included him; he’s not quite six feet tall, which really doesn’t suit our profile. However, he’s just so bloody good, he was worth adding to the list and, if we didn’t have a type, he’d be top of the list by a mile. He was ninth in saves per 90 last season in League One, the highest placing for a loan keeper.
Whitworth began his career with AFC Wimbledon before joining Crystal Palace’s academy in 2016. He progressed through the age groups at Selhurst Park and made his senior debut against Brighton and Hove Albion in March 2023, becoming Palace’s youngest Premier League goalkeeper. He has also represented England from Under-15 to Under-18 level.
His most significant senior experience has come with Exeter City, where he spent two seasons on loan. Whitworth played 46 league games during 2024/25 and was named Exeter’s Player of the Season before returning for the following campaign. He made another 40 league appearances in 2025/26, taking his total for the Grecians to 86.
That included a difficult afternoon in the FA Cup, when Exeter were beaten 10-1 by Manchester City, but that is an outlier for a keeper who I think was one of the main reasons Exeter weren’t bottom four at Christmas. Still only 22, he returns to Palace with nearly 100 senior appearances behind him.
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