New Delhi: The Premier League has always been home to some of the fastest and most relentless athletes in the world but this season has taken it to a new level. From blazing sprints to incredible stamina players are pushing the limits in ways that surprise even the most seasoned fans. But it’s not just about speed, endurance and tactical intelligence are becoming just as important on the pitch. To end the curiosity about who is dominating the field this season so far, let’s explore the eye-opening stats that reveal how players are balancing pace, power, and precision to redefine what it takes to succeed in the league.
The speed king
Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven has set the pace this season as the Premier League’s fastest player. The Dutch defender clocked the top speed, continuing his impressive form from last season and Euro 2024. Van de Ven has left behind pacey players like Fulham’s Adama Traore and Manchester City’s Kyle Walker, who didn’t even make it into the top 20 fastest this season.
¡El jugador más rápido de #LaPremierEnMax! 🏃💨
Nada más y nada menos que Micky van de Ven con los Spurs. 🌪️ pic.twitter.com/Mk76zFnPXh
— TNT Sports México (@tntsportsmex) October 18, 2024
Despite their reputation for speed, Walker’s position is surprisingly low ranked 80th while Traore sits at 21st. Other notable players like Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold (19th) and Manchester United’s Antony (24th) also recorded faster speeds than Walker this season.
Fastest player at each club (as per Opta):
Player
Club
Top Speed (km/hr)
Micky van de Ven
Tottenham Hotspur
37.1
Carlos Forbs
Wolves
36.6
Anthony Elanga
Nottingham Forest
35.9
Erling Haaland
Manchester City
35.7
Gabriel Martinelli
Arsenal
35.6
Alejandro Garnacho
Manchester United
35.5
Cameron Archer
Southampton
35.5
Pedro Neto
Chelsea
35.4
Yankuba Minteh
Brighton
35.4
Mohammed Kudus
West Ham
35.3
Antonee Robinson
Fulham
35.1
Maxence Lacroix
Crystal Palace
35.1
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Liverpool
34.7
Jaden Philogene
Aston Villa
34.7
Harvey Barnes
Newcastle
34.7
James Justin
Leicester City
34.7
Julian Araujo
Bournemouth
34.7
Dominic Calvert-Lewis
Everton
34.6
Fabio Carvalho
Brentford
34.4
Wes Burns
Ipswich
34
Most sprints
Newcastle forward Anthony Gordon has completed the most sprints this season and leading the charts by a substantial margin. His relentless running has put him well ahead of Manchester City’s Erling Haaland who despite his athletic prowess lags behind in total sprints.
Pep Guardiola’s possession-heavy tactics may explain Haaland’s lower sprint numbers as City prioritizes control over raw speed. On the other hand, Everton with their more direct approach have Dominic Calvert-Lewin as their top sprinter, ranking comfortably mid-table in sprints.
Sprint leader of each club (as per Opta):
Player
Club
Sprints
Anthony Gordon
Newcastle
187
Nicolas Jackson
Chelsea
157
Antonee Robinson
Fulham
154
Antoine Semenyo
Bournemouth
149
Dejan Kulusevski
Tottenham Hotspur
142
Leif Davis
Ipswich Town
141
Daniel Muñoz
Crystal Palace
141
Bryan Mbeumo
Brentford
138
Salah/Szoboszlai
Liverpool
137
Kaoru Mitoma
Brighton
126
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Everton
124
Diogo Dalot
Manchester United
123
James Justin
Leicester City
121
Mohammed Kudus
West Ham
119
Gabriel Martinelli
Arsenal
119
Anthony Elanga
Nottingham Forest
106
Flynn Downes
Southampton
103
Ollie Watkins
Aston Villa
99
Mario Lemina
Wolves
97
Erling Haaland
Manchester City
96
Distance dominator
Southampton’s Flynn Downes tops the list as he covered an impressive 84.2 km total distance this season. While minutes played heavily influence this statistic Downes’ endurance has been unmatched in the league.
Calculating distance per 90 minutes, however, reveals another standout performer: Tottenham’s Dejan Kulusevski. Kulusevski leads the pack in average distance covered per game, with only West Ham’s Tomas Soucek coming close. Kulusevski also holds the record for the longest distance covered in a single match, clocking 13.2 km against Manchester United.
Most distance covered for each club (as per Opta):
Player
Club
Distance covered (km)
Flynn Downes
Southampton
82.4
Bruno Guimaraes
Newcastle
77.8
Kai Havertz
Arsenal
77
Dwight McNeil
Everton
76.7
James Justin
Leicester City
76
Jack Hinshelwood
Brighton
76
Lewis Cook
Bournemouth
75.1
Dejan Kulusevski
Tottenham Hotspur
74
Youri Tielemans
Aston Villa
73.8
Ryan Gravenberch
Liverpool
73.6
Bryan Mbeumo
Brentford
72.7
Sam Morsy
Ipswich Town
72.2
Antonee Robinson
Fulham
70.4
Kobbie Mainoo
Manchester United
70.1
Mario Lemina
Wolves
69.7
Cole Palmer
Chelsea
68.9
Josko Gvardiol
Manchester City
67.7
Jarrod Bowen
West Ham
67
Eberechi Eze
Crystal Palace
66.3
Chris Wood
Nottingham Forest
61.8
Most distance covered per game
No player comes closer to Dejan Kulusevski’s distance per 90 minutes especially those who have played at least four games. Only West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek is within half a kilometre range of Kulusevski’s average.
The 24-year-old Spur’s midfielder also holds the record for the maximum distance covered in a single game this season totalling 13.2 km against Manchester United in his side’s 3-0 triumph in September.
In the same month, he also clocked 12.6 km in a 3-1 win over Brentford which is the second-highest total this season in a Premier League match.
Tottenham’s Dejan Kulusevski is not only ranked #1 for most distance covered per 90mins this season, but also holds the top 2 places for distance run in a single game – 13.2km vs Man Utd and 12.6km vs Brentford 🤯
The man is a physical freak! 💪#THFC #COYS 🤍💙❤️🩹 #TOTWHU pic.twitter.com/2E7pQK0e18
— Football Confidential 🌐 (@footballconfid1) October 17, 2024
Who has walked the most?
Erling Haaland leads another surprising category as he has walked the furthest this season. Despite being a sprint leader for Manchester City, Haaland spends a significant portion of his time walking during games, a tactical approach mirrored by a few others including Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon and Manchester United’s Diogo Dalot.
However, Nottingham Forest’s Willy Boly tops the percentage chart, having spent 78.5% of his time walking perhaps reflecting his role in Forest’s defensive system.
Most distance walked for each club (as per Opta):
Player
Club
Distance walked (km)
Erling Haaland
Manchester City
28.2
Max Kilman
West Ham
27.5
Cristian Romero
Tottenham Hotspur
27.1
Antoine Semenyo
Bournemouth
26.9
Virgil van Dijk
Liverpool
26.5
Matheus Cunha
Wolves
25.9
Jan Bednarek
Southampton
25.4
Anthony Gordon
Newcastle
25.2
Diogo Dalot
Manchester United
25.1
Cole Palmer
Chelsea
25
Ola Aina
Nottingham Forest
25
Danny Welbeck
Brighton
24.9
James Tarkowski
Everton
24.8
Ezri Konsa
Aston Villa
24.7
Gabriel
Arsenal
24.5
Eberechi Eze
Crystal Palace
24
Kristoffer Ajer
Brentford
23.9
Wout Faes
Leicester City
23.7
Antonee Robinson
Fulham
23.7
Leif Davis
Ipswich Town
22.2
Discover who is the quickest in the league, who has covered the most distance, and which player has walked the furthest. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today