Though speed isn’t everything in football, it is an important aspect of the game that makes it really interesting. Pacy players are fun to watch, and make the game exciting. They are ones who increase the tempo of the game, and get fans to the edge of their seats.
Some of the fastest footballers in the world at the moment are Leroy Sane, Gareth Bale, Kylian Mbappe, Hector Bellerin, Kyle Walker, Jamie Vardy, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Opta has published the list of top 20 fastest footballers in the Premier League after the first month of action this season. Though there are quite a few familiar names on the list, it did throw a lot of surprises.
Some of the surprise exclusions from the list were Liverpool’s Mo Salah and Sadio Mane, Chelsea’s Eden Hazard, Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin, and Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling.
Players like Richarlison, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Ben Chilwell, Kevin de Bruyne, Ricardo Pereira, and Leroy Sane made it to the top 20 but failed to get into the top five.
On that note, let’s take a look at the 5 fastest footballers in the Premier League this season as of now.
#5 Pierre E. Aubameyang, Arsenal
Speed clocked this season - 34.753 km/h vs Manchester City
The former Borussia Dortmund star has been one of the quickest men in the Premier League this season. The Arsenal striker has started all the games for the Gunners this campaign, and has scored once.
The 29-year-old Gabon international set the ground on fire when he clocked 34.753 km/h against the defending champions Manchester City during the opening week of the 2018/19 Premier League season.
Though the Gunners lost the game 2-0 at the Emirates, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was electrifying on the night. However, he wasn’t at his best in front of goal and missed a couple of goal scoring opportunities.
#4 Ryan Fredericks, West Ham United
Speed clocked this season - 34.767 km/h vs Arsenal
The Hammers are off to a dreadful start in the 2018/19 Premier League campaign. They have lost all the four games this season and are at the bottom of the league standings.
The 25-year-old West Ham United defender is the fourth fastest footballer in the Premier League this season. The Spurs academy graduate joined West Ham this summer from Fulham.
Ryan Marlowe Fredericks clocked a top speed of 34.767 km/h against Arsenal at the Emirates on matchday three. Deployed as a right-back, he set some good speeds throughout the game. A player to watch out for this season.
#3 Aaron Lennon, Burnley
Speed clocked this season - 34.826 km/h vs Southampton
The former Tottenham Hotspur and Everton star has been one of the fastest players in the Premier League for quite some time. The England international has featured in all the games for Burnley this season. Burnley are off to a poor start this campaign, with just a solitary point from four games so far.
Aaron Lenon was lively on the night against Southampton on the opening week of the 2018/19 campaign and produced some scintillating football. Deployed on the right, the 31-year-old gave a hard time to Southampton defenders and reached a top speed of 34.826 km/h on matchday one.
#2 Kyle Walker, Manchester City
Speed clocked this season - 34.845 km/h vs Arsenal
The Manchester City fullback is the second fastest player in the 2018/19 Premier League campaign. The England international has transformed into one of the best right-backs in the world under Pep Guardiola and helped them to win the Premier League title last season. He was phenomenal for England in the 2018 World Cup as well.
Manchester City started their 2018/19 Premier League campaign Arsenal at the Emirates and Kyle Walker was on fire once again. The 28-year-old former Tottenham Hotspur star clocked a top speed of 34.845 km/h against Arsenal, and helped Manchester City get off to a perfect 2-0 start.
#1 Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Everton
Speed clocked this season - 34.935 km/h vs Southampton
Here comes the biggest surprise on our list. Not many would have expected Dominic Calvert-Lewin to be the fastest player in the Premier League this season. The young and energetic Everton forward had a decent 2017/18 campaign with four goals and six assists.
Calvert-Lewin set the fastest speed in the 2018/19 Premier League so far when he reached a top speed of 34.935 km/h against Southampton on matchday two. Coming on as a substitute in the game, the 21-year-old showed a lot of speed, especially during the counter attacks. Everton managed to win the game 2-1.