Having a quick turn of pace can be the difference between being a good footballer and being a great footballer. When used properly, a burst of quickness can unlock even the tightest of defences.
Today, we’ll be looking at the five quickest players in the Premier League in 2025/26, based on their highest recorded sprint speed. We’ll be looking at players from Newcastle United, Leeds United and Manchester United for this list – can you guess who they are?
Anthony Elanga
Anthony Elanga has been known for his pace every since he rose to prominence at Manchester United. Players know they need to give him space, or he will simply rocket beyond them with a sprint speed of 36kmph.
Newcastle certainly saw the benefits that this attribute can bring – they paid Nottingham Forest a fee of £55 million in the summer to secure his services.
However, he has yet to repay their faith in him on the field. So far, Elanga has yet to score a Premier League goal for the Mags, with only a solitary assist to supplement his tally.
Yankuba Minteh
Newcastle are probably wishing they still had Yankuba Minteh – not only is he slightly faster than Elanga at 36.11kmph, he has also been delivering far better returns.
The Gambian international has scored a single goal and has notched up four assists for Brighton so far this season – at the age of 21, these are very respectable numbers.
Additionally, he has also been a strong asset to his country – he has won 19 caps for his country, scoring seven goals along the way.
Dan James
Dan James is a peripheral figure in the Leeds team these days, but he still retains his status as one of the fastest players in the Premier League.
His top sprint speed is marginally quicker than Minteh’s – James was recorded at a highly impressive pace of 36.14kmph.
However, James has yet to score a goal or register an assist in the Premier League this season. With this being said, his contract at Elland Road does not expire until 2029 – he’ll be sticking around for a while yet.
Bryan Mbeumo
Here is a player we didn’t expect to see – Bryan Mbeumo is a fine player, but his pace isn’t always highlighted as one of his biggest strengths.
Perhaps this should be a testament to Mbeumo’s quality. Despite having such a dangerous weapon in his arsenal, it is largely overshadowed by his talents on the ball and in front of goal.
The United star has been recorded running at a maximum speed of 36.36kmph. Currently, he is playing at AFCON – the Red Devils have missed him dearly in his absence.
Jackson Tchatchoua
By far the fastest player in the Premier League this season is Jackson Tchatchoua – Wolves have been mired in problems during the current campaign, but this is something they can hang their hat on.
Tchatchoua is significantly faster than the other players in this list. While they all run at 36kmph, Tchatchoua has a maximum sprint speed of 37.3kmph.
Sadly, this electric pace has not done much for him this season – he hasn’t scored any goals, nor has he registered an assist in the Premier League.