The fastest players in the Premier League before the 2023/24 international break

By Ewan Murray

Speed is more important than ever in football. With defensive lines pushing further and further up the field, there is a greater need for speedsters who can exploit the space left behind.

This is particularly true in the Premier League, where the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool have popularized the high line, while the increased intensity of matches in general means speed and acceleration are increasingly significant.

THE premier league have revealed which players have recorded the fastest sprint speeds so far this season, with two players finishing in the top ten twice.

Below are the fastest players starting this season.

10. Pedro Neto – Wolverhampton Wanderers

The small forward has lightning-quick feet and is able to easily outrun opposing defenders at their best, but he is also damn fast.

Neto showed his pace against Crystal Palace, hitting the tenth fastest sprint of the premier league this season, also recording two assists for the Old Gold in a 3-2 loss.

Sprint speed: 34.82 km/h

9. Pedro Neto – Wolverhampton Wanderers

Just to demonstrate how fast Neto is, here he is again at number nine. On this occasion, Manchester United were the opponents having to keep pace with the Portuguese striker in what was undoubtedly an unenviable task for Luke Shaw.

Although only 0.02km/h faster than his sprint several weeks later against Palace, it is still quite an impressive achievement to finish in the top ten twice.

Sprint speed: 34.84 km/h

8. Anthony Elanga – Nottingham Forest

Another winger who has reached blistering speeds in the opening weeks of the season is new Nottingham Forest signing Anthony Elanga.

The Swede has already made his mark with some impressive performances since arriving from Old Trafford, and his pace is one of his most important attributes. Sheffield United defenders know this all too well after Elanga scored the eighth fastest sprint of the season against the Blades in gameweek two.

Sprint speed: 34.88 km/h

7. Ameen Al Dakhil-Burnley

The only defender to make the top ten, Al Dakhil achieved incredible speed in his debut Premier League match against Manchester City on the opening night of the season.

The two-capped Belgium international should have no problem using his speed of recovery to get himself out of trouble in the English top flight.

Sprint speed: 34.97 km/h

6.Alejandro Garnacho-Manchester United

Garnacho has certainly caught the attention of a lot of people since he broke through Manchester Unitedpartly due to his incredible speed and cunning.

The 19-year-old showed glimpses of greatness, normally from the United bench, and reached speeds of just over 35km/h (20mph) against Tottenham Hotspur in their 2-0 defeat in north London.

However, he is not Man Utd’s fastest player this season…

Sprint speed: 35.01 km/h

5.Rasmus Hojlund-Manchester United

That’s because summer signing Rasmus Hojlund, tired back and all, is United’s fastest player this season.

Having come off the bench against Arsenal Before the international break, the £72 million arrival showed his magnificent speed on several occasions, running behind Gabriel at a frightening pace.

Comparisons have been made between the striker and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, and it would be interesting to see a foot race between the two Nordic giants.

Sprint speed: 35.45 km/h

4. Adama Traore – Fulham

Adama Traore’s place among the top sprinters was guaranteed, it was more a question of where he would pop up. Unfortunately for the Spaniard, he settled for fourth place, which is still quite impressive given that he has only played around 35 minutes of football for Fulham this season.

The baby-oiled pace merchant marked his highest pace since coming on against Arsenal, but is sure (definitely?) to improve his total at some point this season.

Sprint speed: 35.55 km/h

3. Anthony Gordon – Newcastle United

Gordon may have had a slow start in life Newcastlebut he has certainly started the new Premier League season quickly.

The 22-year-old was particularly impressive on the opening day during a 5-1 demolition of Aston Villa and has already provided a goal and an assist this season for the Magpies.

Sprint speed: 35.63 km/h

2.Anthony Gordon-Newcastle United

Just like Pedro Neto, Gordon managed to make it to this list twice after hitting his top speed against Manchester City several weeks ago.

The former Everton man added another 0.04km/h to his sprint against Villa, even giving Kyle Walker a run for his money at the Etihad.

Sprint speed: 35.67 km/h

1. Dominic Solanke – Bournemouth

Perhaps not the name you would automatically put at the top of this list, Dominic Solanke showed just how fast he is during the Bournemouth-Tottenham clash earlier in the season.

The Cherries striker is the only player to have topped 36km/h in the Premier League so far and opposing defenses may need to keep an eye on the striker in the coming weeks.

Sprint speed: 36.10 km/h