In my ever growing extended family only one person is interested in football ( a son-in-la who is a season ticket holder at Southampton). I have always been particularly interested in goal keepers and therefore I was pleased to learn that my eldest granddaughter's part has been training with one of the country's oldest non-league clubs and has joined the squad as a keeper. Success at the highest level of the game seems to depend on high-quality goalkeeping. And yet that importance is not reflected in what clubs have traditionally been willing to spend on the position. The comparison with other positions is startling. Spending on forwards and midfielders long ago breached the £100m mark. In transfer market terms, goalkeepers lag behind. Why? Historically, one obvious explanation stands above others: attacking players are more fun and fashionable, and it’s easier to measure their worth. Goalscorers have a clear value, and that is as true now as it was in the la...