People often ask, who is the fastest player in the Premier League? Let’s break it down a bit.
Don’t let them tell you pace doesn’t matter. It does count for something and explains why managers love skilful and pacy players.
Pace is a vital ingredient in football and a nightmare for defenders, but some players don’t possess that quality but have that imperial perception of time and space. Still, we all appreciate a player who can ghost past opponents, leaving them in the dust.
Since the advent of speed data three seasons ago, the Premier League has recorded several unlikely speedsters.
The fastest players in the Premier League
9 – Reiss Nelson (Arsenal)
The young Arsenal academy product saw few opportunities last season, but when called upon delivered for the Gunners. Nelson scored a famous last-minute goal for Arsenal to keep them in the hunt for the title.
He is not the fastest player in the Premier League, but with a top speed of 36.07km/h, he comes in at tenth.
8 – Erling Haaland (Man City)
The gangling goal poacher and Premier League record goalscorer is deceptively fast. Combining massive strength and a keen eye for goal, the Norwegian is not one to be associated with speed, but he has a blistering pace. He clocked in a top speed of 36.22km/h, but not enough to get him into the top five.
7 – Matheus Nunes (Wolves)
Who would have thought there was a Wolves player faster than Adama Traore? The forward, built like a powerlifter, is not the fastest at the Molineux. In the race for fastest player in the Premier League, Nunes beats Traore to the top ten list with a max speed of 36.32km/h. The Portugal international was the third-fastest midfielder in the Premier League this season.
6 – Arnaut Danjuma (Tottenham)
The American forward Arnaut Danjuma joined Spurs on loan in January but found game time hard to come by. He would like to forget his stay at the North London club. Despite his better-forgotten sojourn, he clocked a top speed of 36.34km/h.
5 – Darwin Nunez
Darwin Nunez did not live up to the hype. The Uruguayan made 29 appearances for Liverpool but churned out topsy-turvy results. The Uruguayan had decent stats but was not value for money as Liverpool finished fifth. At a top speed of 36.53km/h, he was the fifth-fastest player in the Premier League.
4 – Anthony Gordon (Newcastle)
It was a fantastic season for Newcastle, as they booked a Champions League place. Part of their success last season was down to quick-footed Anthony Gordon. He caused all sorts of problems for opposing defenders. He will be a handful in the Champions League. A top speed of 36.61km/h will be a massive headache for defenders.
3 – Mykhailo Mudryk (Chelsea)
Unsurprisingly, Mudryk made the list. The surprise is that he is not the fastest player in the Premier League. When the Ukrainian winger bursts past defenders, it is like he’s saying catch me if you can. He clocked a top speed of 36.63km/h.
2 – Brennan Johnson (Nottingham Forest)
Who would have thought that Brennan Johnson is the second-fastest player in the Premier League? He was instrumental to Forest maintaining their Premier League status. Johnson was the only Forest player to feature in all 38 Premier League games. He is shy of 37km/h with 36.7km/h.
1 – Kyle Walker (Man City)
Kyle Walker had a massive test with Vinicius Junior in the Champions League and came out with flying colours. He has snuffed out the threatening pace in encounters with some of the fastest players in the world. The 33-year-old has a top speed of 37.31km/h. No one comes close. Walker puts his pace down to genetics and keeping himself in good shape.
This article was most recently revised and updated 1 year ago
