It may come as no surprise to most fans, but if you want to get in the automatic promotion spots in the Championship you really do need a sturdy defence.
Over half of the teams who finished in the top two of the last 10 Championship seasons conceded an average of one goal a game or fewer over the course of the campaign.
As many as 12 of the 20 automatically promoted sides (60 per cent) conceded 46 or fewer goals, with five sides even managing to concede fewer than 40.
Brentford, in their run to fifth last season, conceded a play-off team high of 59 goals and their porous defence cost them against Middlesbrough.
Only Blackpool with 91 goals conceded had a leakier defence than Fulham, who let in 83 over the course of the campaign.
Recently relegated QPR had the worst defence in the Premier League last season, shipping 73 goals during the campaign and the numbers prove a tight defence can have more value than being a free-scoring side.
League goals conceded by Brentford, QPR and Fulham (2014-15)
The tightest defence of a title winning side in the last 10 seasons was Reading's back in 2005-06.
The Royals conceded just 32 goals that season, an average of just 0.7 per game.
Teams aiming for the promotion spots though can, unsurprisingly, afford to be a little leakier at the back.
Just 13 of the 40 sides to make it into the play-offs over the last 10 seasons, 33%, conceded an average of one goal or fewer a game, meaning that 27 teams, around two thirds, conceded more than a goal a game on average.
Overall, teams finishing top of the table over the last 10 seasons conceded an average of 0.9 goals per game, while those in second conceded an average of 1.0 per game and those in the play-offs 1.1 per game.
Are there any out of contract defenders or goalkeepers that take your interest in our gallery below?
