The fastest Premier League team of the 2023/24 season revealed | OneFootball

Highlights

With the modern game ever evolving, having speed in your locker is becoming much more of a necessity rather than an added bonus. Especially in the Premier League, a division known for its fast-paced nature and tenacity, a player’s velocity could potentially make the difference when competing for a loose ball and, as such, turning it into a potential moment of magic.

Of course, speed comes in all shapes and sizes. Whether that be a defender breaking a sweat to prevent a goalscoring opportunity or a forward latching onto an audacious, over-the-top through ball, the realm of what makes a player ever so rapid, simply, never ends. Regardless, there’s something rather pleasing about a player – irrespective of their position – skipping past someone like they’re not there, leaving spectators and opposition alike in their wake.

In line with this, Squawka have released an XI of English top-flight speed demons, from the quickest frontmen to a goalkeeper, who put it all on the table by trying to prevent their opposition from doubling their cushion. Which shot stopper has racked up a speed of 35.1 km/h? Who has recorded the quickest sprint in the Premier League so far in 2023/24? And which players are involved that see Mykhailo Mudryk, Mohamed Salah, Gabriel Martinelli and Adama Traore not make the cut? Without further ado, let’s get cracking.

GK: Robert Sanchez – 35.1 km/h

Very impressively, Robert Sanchez has done himself proud here. Goalkeepers, typically, are constrained to their penalty box – and just outside – for the majority of the 90 minutes and are, therefore, unable to showcase how fast they can actually run.

As the Blues searched for a much-needed goal in their affair against Brentford, Sanchez was sent up for a corner in an attempt to achieve the unthinkable: score a goal, Alisson Becker style. It quickly turned into a counterattack for the visitors and Sanchez was seen busting a gut as he looked to thwart the Bees’ chances of doubling their lead. The ball may have ended up trickling into an empty net but Sanchez, in return for his efforts, makes his way into this team with a speed of 35.1 km/h.

RB: Kyle Walker – 35.3 km/h

No surprises here are there, really? Known for gut-busting sprints up the right flank, while overlapping whoever Pep Guardiola chooses to play ahead of him, Kyle Walker has clocked an impressive top speed of 35.3 km/h during the 2023/24 season.

The Spanish tactician may place huge importance on possession and retaining the ball, but his use of Walker throughout the years has shown he’s not afraid to use players, who are often hugging the touchline, as an out ball when push comes to shove. And the Englishman fits the bill perfectly. Quick and aggressive, Walker has proven that age is just a number, and is still one of the finest right-backs in the league.

CB: Micky van de Ven – 35.5 km/h

Micky van de Ven has been a revelation in the heart of Tottenham Hotspur’s defence – and is no stranger to activating the afterburners. But this should come as little surprise given the Dutchman is the ninth-fastest player to ply his trade in the Bundesliga, clocking an eye-catching speed of 36.35 km/h.

Van de Ven is yet to better – or even match - that speed, though he has still performed an impressive sprint Usain Bolt would be proud of. The 22-year-old has been a beacon of hope to Ange Postecoglou in his inaugural campaign in England and not just because of his above-the-grade defensive abilities – more so because of his eye-catching speed.

CB: Dara O’Shea – 36.7 km/h

Potentially a shock inclusion on the list is Dara O’Shea, who joined Vincent Kompany’s Burnley in the summer upon their re-integration into the Premier League. And while the majority of the Belgian’s players have struggled to adapt to the nature of England’s most prestigious league, the Irish defender has given it his best shot, becoming his side’s quickest player so far in 2023/24. With a speed of 36.7 km/h – making him the fastest defender in the XI – O’Shea has become accustomed to making last-ditch sprints towards his own penalty box as he and his teammates come to terms with life in the Premier League.

LB: Ben Chilwell – 35.5 km/h

Full backs often get the chance to prove to the footballing world that it’s not all about defending. In the modern game, their responsibilities exceed more than just blocking a shot or being in the right place at the right time, as they are given license to maraud down their respective flank and make a statement in the opponent’s half.

And that is certainly the case for Chelsea ace Ben Chilwell, who has been limited to minutes this term via a host of injuries. Many would’ve expected the likes of Mudryk, Noni Madueke, or Raheem Sterling to rack up the west Londoners’ top speed, though it is the Englishman that is flying the Chelsea flag high with his recorded speed of 35.5 km/h.

CM: Tahith Chong – 36.4 km/h

The former Manchester United midfielder has shown glimpses of his talent since moving to Kenilworth Road – but not many were expecting him to show off his speed as he has done so far. Far down the pecking order at Old Trafford, the youngster – who won the Red Devils’ Young Player of the Year award in 2017/18 - decided to earn regular senior minutes at Luton. Of course, he was largely brought in for his ball-playing expertise from Carrington and would’ve shocked Rob Edwards and his entourage when sprinting around the pitch this campaign as he marked his arrival with a 36.4km/h sprint.

CM: Amadou Onana – 36.7 km/h

Everton fans may be shocked by this one. Known for his industrious performances in the centre of the park for Sean Dyche, Amadou Onana rarely gets the chance to stretch his legs and show off his impressive pace. Standing tall at 6 foot 4, he can be classed as a player that is ‘deceptively quick’ as he uses his long legs to eat up ground when tasked to do so.

The young Belgian has certainly impressed since his switch to Goodison Park and was touted by Manchester United as a fix to their midfield frailties. And with the Red Devils still actively on the lookout for engine room reinforcements, the 22-year-old would bring heaps of quality, toughness and – perhaps, unexpectedly – an injection of pace with him.

CM: Dominik Szoboszlai – 36.8 km/h

When Dominik Szoboszlai’s signing was announced by Liverpool, many fans would’ve spent the best part of the next week watching clips of him dictating play and scoring scorchers for RB Leipzig. One aspect that might’ve been missed was his electric pace, but he has proven that he is more than capable of letting his speed do the talking.

The Hungary international, included in GIVEMESPORT’s Premier League Team of the Season so far, became the second-quickest player in Premier League history back in mid-September, according to coach and scientist Simon Brundish, though that speed has now been surpassed by a duo of players on this list.

RW: Pedro Neto – 36.9 km/h

That leads us rather poetically onto Pedro Neto, who has racked up a mouth-watering speed of 36.9 km/h. The Portuguese winger, earmarked as a potential Marcus Rashford replacement, has become Gary O’Neil’s dependable figure in attack this campaign and was instrumental in their unforeseen win against reigning champions, Manchester City.

One of the vital aspects of their 2-1 victory over Guardiola’s star-studded side was to exploit Neto’s pace. As he ran past the defenders like a flash of lightning, he left them in a state of disbelief, and it was at the end of his nail-biting run that he delivered a ball into the box, one that was turned in by City’s very own Rúben Dias. Impactful.

ST: Chiedozie Ogbene – 36.9 km/h

Equalling the rapid pace of Neto is Luton Town’s Chiedozie Ogbene. Many have the Kenilworth Road-based outfit at the top of their list to plummet back down to the Championship come May, but they can hold their heads high knowing they boast one of the quickest assets in the Premier League.

Rob Edwards’ approach to retaining their credibility in the top-flight is simple: lump the ball up to Ogbene and watch him attempt to weave in and out of defenders with pace to burn. Of course, the elite-level IQ of defensive work in the Premier League may make that a harder task than first thought, but it’s worth a try, right?

LW: Anthony Gordon – 36.7 km/h

Known his rapid-like approach to skinning defenders and leaving them in the dust, the former Evertonian Anthony Gordon completes the XI. Looking past the Toffees’ continuous relegation dogfights, the Englishman was near-on written off in his embryonic months of his Newcastle United career, but eventually became one of the fastest players of 2023.

This season, Eddie Howe has turned him into a different beast and his speed has come on tenfold. Throughout his career in the topflight, he has been known for his elite-level speed, but it has been taken to another level as he has clocked up a speed of 36.7 km/h, the joint-second fastest in the star-studded XI.