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When you talk about the fastest players in the current Premier League season, you would think that the likes of Raheem Sterling from Liverpool and Eden Hazard from Chelsea would feature somewhere amongst the very top.
You would be surprised to know that they don’t even make the top 10, let alone the top 5.
Here are the 10 quickest players in the ongoing Premier League campaign with a brief focus on those who constitute the top 5.
Everton captain and England international Phil Jagielka, with a top speed of 35.99 km/hr, is the most explosive player in the Premier League at the moment. Jagielka has historically not been known for being too quick, but that is, perhaps, because of the fact that his positional sense at centre-half is so good that he has not needed to use his blistering pace all too often.
Ritchie de Laet, who signed for current club Leicester City in May 2012, is a defender who played an integral part in Leicester’s promotion from the Championship to the Premier League and is continuing to show through his good performances in the Premier League this season that he is up up to it at the top level, too.
Joe Ledley signed for Crystal Palace from Scottish giants Celtic earlier this year and has immediately adapted to the rigorous demands of the Premier League. Playing in central midfield, Ledley is required to cover a lot of ground in quick time, and being 3rd in the list of the fastest players clearly helps him doing so.
Steven Nzonzi, who is a defensive midfielder, has been plying his trade in the Premier League for the last 5 seasons. He initially signed for Blackburn Rovers from a lower league French club before moving on to Stoke City after Blackburn’s relegation in the 2011/12 season.
Tall forwards are generally known for being strong in the air but find it difficult to cover ground at quick speed. Sunderland striker Connor Wickham, at 6 feet 3 inches, has physical prowess no doubt, but he is quick across the ground as well as illustrated by having a top speed of 35.80 km/hr.
Here is the complete list of the 10 fastest players in this season’s Premier League.
| Rank | Player | Club | Top Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phil Jagielka | Everton | 35.99 km/hr |
| 2 | Ritchie de Laet | Leicester City | 35.94 km/hr |
| 3 | Joe Ledley | Crystal Palace | 35.91 km/hr |
| 4 | Steven Nzonzi | Stoke City | 35.82 km/hr |
| 5 | Connor Wickham | Sunderland | 35.80 km/hr |
| 6 | Mohamed Diame | Hull City | 35.68 km/hr |
| 7 | Alan Hutton | Aston Villa | 35.54 km/hr |
| 8 | Nathan Dyer | Swansea City | 35.53 km/hr |
| 9 | Craig Gardner | West Bromwich Albion | 35.49 km/hr |
| 10 | Joey O’Brien | West Ham United | 35.46 km/hr |
Source: EA Sports
