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The Premier League’s lower half teams have the quickest players
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Seven of the 10 fastest sprint speeds since 2020-21 have been recorded in 2023-24
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Micky van de Ven has recorded the fastest sprint speed in the Premier League this season
Premier League football has seen some of the sport’s fastest ever players from Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale to Kyle Walker, Ramires and countless others.
Speed alone might not elevate a player into the elite, but it is certainly a useful asset regardless of a player’s position.
Often, we associate wide positions with being home to those fleetest of foot. While this is sometimes the case, there is pace to be found elsewhere, with central defenders and strikers often posting sprint speed marks.
Here are the 10 fastest players in Premier League odds in 2023-24…
Mykhailo Mudryk
Signing Mykhailo Mudryk hasn’t elevated Chelsea in Premier League odds outright like Todd Boehly would have hoped. Mudryk is nearing 12 months at Stamford Bridge and has yet to make a meaningful impact.
His greatest impression thus far has been his exceptional pace. While the end product is still a work in progress, the Ukrainian has been capable of leaving almost any defender behind.
It gives Chelsea something to work with in the coming months, even if they are a long way off title contention in Mauricio Pochettino’s first season at the helm.
Moussa Diaby
Aston Villa landed Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer for a reported fee of £51 million. Diaby was instantly one of the Premier League’s fastest players upon his arrival.
The Frenchman clocked 42 goal involvements over his final two seasons in the Bundesliga – only time will tell if he can replicate that production in the Premier League.
The move to Villa Park represents a reunion with Unai Emery, who managed Diaby for a brief spell at PSG. Comfortable down the middle or out wide, it will be interesting to see which role Diaby settles in to with the Villains.
Anthony Elanga
After just five Premier League starts for Manchester United in 2022-23, Anthony Elanga swapped Old Trafford for the City Ground in the summer window.
Still only 21 years old, the Malmo native has immense potential, and Nottingham Forest could have landed a bargain for a reported fee of £10 million.
Elanga is in line for plenty of minutes after Brennan Johnson departed for Tottenham. His pace is going to be a real asset for a Forest team often forced to defend for long periods.
Ameen Al Dakhil
Ameen Al Dakhil signed for Burnley in January 2023, and has shot to the top of the Premier League sprint speed charts.
Al Dakhil is the only defender to make this top 10 after posting a 34.97 kilometres per hour sprint speed in Burnley’s loss to Manchester City.
The Clarets picked up the Belgium international from Sint-Truiden, and he went on to make seven starts for the club as they cruised to promotion.
Alejandro Garnacho
The 2023-24 season could be when Alejandro Garnacho establishes himself as a first-team regular at Manchester United. Garnacho’s quick-footedness and bag of tricks have demonstrated his potential.
Born in 2004, time is on his side. United might be lured in by big-money signings elsewhere, but they could have a real gem on their hands in Garnacho.
He’s already debuted for Argentina, and will surely make 10+ Premier League starts this term if he can stay fit.
Adama Traore
Long renowned for being one of the fastest football players in the world, Adama Traore still ranks among the Premier League’s top speedsters.
Traore joined Fulham on a free in the 2023 summer window, taking his tally of Premier League clubs to four.
While Traore’s combination of strength, speed and dribbling ability make him an entertaining player for neutrals, he is still yet to combine that with reliable end product.
His highest expected goals and expected assists per 90 combined in a league season is 0.37.
Rasmus Højlund
After seeing Erling Haaland establish himself as one of the greatest Premier League strikers, Manchester United decided to pick up their own Scandinavian phenom in Rasmus Højlund.
It didn’t take long for Højlund to post one of the top Premier League sprint speeds in 2023-24, with the Norwegian proving to be an immediate threat off the bench for the Red Devils.
The Old Trafford faithful will be hoping Højlund can build on his 11 goal involvements in 20.4 Serie A 90s for Atalanta last season.
Dominic Solanke
Dominic Solanke posted the fastest sprint speed in the Premier League before the first international break. Who expected to see this name on this list?
Solanke might not have lived up to the lofty expectations when he was in the Chelsea academy, and then at Liverpool, but he has proven to be a useful Premier League striker.
His 13 non-penalty expected goals and expected assists in 2022-23 ranked 26th among Premier League players, and was the highest tally of any player from a team in the relegation battle.
Amadou Onana
It's not often central midfielders break into the top sprint speeds. Everton midfielder Amadou Onana bucked that trend in the Merseyside derby earlier this season, getting up to a top speed of 36.65 kp/h.
An excellent ball winner, Onana is above-average among central midfielders for expected assists and tackles over the last 365 days.
With Everton's financial troubles, don't be surprised if some of the league's richest clubs pursue Onana this summer.
Anthony Gordon
You’ve got to have some serious pace to give Kyle Walker a race. Anthony Gordon did just that at the Etihad in the opening weeks of 2023-24. He then bettered that sprint speed against Burnley at the end of September.
Gordon was limited to a bit-part role after joining Newcastle in January, but will be hoping to get more minutes this season with Eddie Howe having to manage his squad through the rigours of Champions League commitments.
While he’s yet to post any particularly eye-catching numbers, the Geordie faithful will hope Gordon can unlock his potential having got away from a dysfunctional Everton team.
Dara O'Shea
Facing Crystal Palace in November, Burnley central defender Dara O'Shea posted one of the fastest Premier League sprint speeds of all-time. It has been a challenging season for the Clarets, but O'Shea has been a regular in the backline after arriving from West Brom last summer.
Centre backs aren't often renowned for their speed. The need for recovery runs and last-ditch tackles means they are often forced to sprint in a way that other players are not. O'Shea and his colleagues in the Burnley defence have certainly had plenty of work to do this term.
Dominik Szoboszlai
Dominik Szoboszlai's class has been evident from the minute he arrived at Anfield. The Hungarian has fulfilled different roles for Jurgen Klopp, and his statistics are exceptional across the board.
Pace wasn't one of his biggest strengths on the scouting report, but that didn't stop Szoboszlai putting in a 36.76 kp/h top speed earlier this season. At the time, it was the second-fastest sprint speed of the campaign.
Pedro Neto
Direct, quick and with excellent close control, Pedro Neto is a consistent outlet for Wolves down the flank.
Neto has posted some of the league’s highest sprint speeds in recent years, making him just as much of a threat off-ball as he is when he can size up the opposing full-back. His 36.86 kp/h against Luton in September is the third-fastest sprint speed in 2023-24.
Wolves have seen some long-time starters depart over the last couple of years, but Neto looks set to be a key player at Molineux for years to come.
The question, perhaps, is whether one of the top clubs swoops if he has a productive 2023-24 season.
Chiedozie Ogbene
Luton winger Chiedozie Ogbene has four goals to his name at the time of writing. His pace has been an important part of Luton's attack throughout 2023-24, and his role is going to be significant if the minnows manage to stay in the Premier League.
It was against Fulham in September that Ogbene set the second-fastest sprint speed of the Premier League season, according to the official Premier League website.
Micky van de Ven
When facing Brentford in January 2024, Micky van de Ven set the fastest Premier League sprint speed since data was first collected in 2020-21. The Dutchman set a scorching top speed for Wolfsburg last season, and has gone even quicker for Tottenham.
Playing in the centre of defence for Tottenham, van de Ven's mobility has been vital in Ange Postecoglou's ultra-high-line.
As Spurs continue their rebuild under Postecoglou, look for van de Ven to be on the receiving end of plenty of praise.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
