Top 10 Speedsters
- jonjoward1998
- Aug 16
- 6 min read
The definition of a speedster is easy. It is a player who is quick and blessed with pace.
The Premier League has seen many over the years with most of them of course being wingers. But we have seen some strikers and even full backs who have been known to be very quick.
This top 10 may be about the quickest Premier League players, but I have not ranked the names on the list based on how fast they are. I have ranked them on their Premier League career like I do for any list.
When I look back at my list, there are a few names that missed the cut and probably could've made the list like Kyle Walker, Aaron Lennon and even Gareth Bale. Walker's pace has been a key part of his game throughout his career whilst Lennon and Bale were both lightning quick wingers at Spurs.
Now here is the list:
Adama Traore
Marc Overmars
Hector Bellerin
Sadio Mane
Theo Walcott
Arjen Robben
Jamie Vardy
Heung Min Son
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Mohamed Salah
Adama Traore
Traore has probably been the quickest player in the Premier League over the last five to six seasons and whenever you talk about him, his pace is always mentioned.
Although he's had that blistering pace which has caused defenders all kinds of problems and got fans off their seats, his game has always lacked end product.
His lack of goals is the main thing he's been criticized for throughout his career and is the reason why he's not reached that next level.
His lack of end product is why I have him down in 10th.
Hector Bellerin
Bellerin showed a lot of promise when he broke into the Arsenal first team and especially with his abilities from an attacking point of view.
He was probably the quickest player in the Premier League on his day and he was so quick that he was faster than Usain Bolt over the first 20 metres of the 100 metres.
He was a brilliant full back going forward, but defensively he had his flaws as he was caught out on a number of occasions and his positioning was questioned.
The defensive side of his game was criticized by both the media and Arsenal fans.
Arjen Robben
If this was about the top 10 speedsters of the modern era, Robben would be a lot higher because of the career he's had.
But as this is about the Premier League, I had to put him quite low down because he didn't play in the Premier League for very long and a lot of his good work came after he left the Premier League.
He was a good player during his time at Chelsea and was an important of both of their title winning sides under Jose Mourinho due to his pace and ability to get crosses into the box.
But his game at the time lacked end product and it wasn't until he left the Premier League when he added that.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Just like Robben, had Aubameyang would be a lot higher had this been the top 10 speedsters of the modern era because of the quality of player he was in his prime.
But he didn't play in the Premier League for very long as he only had over three and a half seasons at Arsenal.
He was brilliant during his time with Arsenal and especially early on as he scored a lot of goals, caused teams problems with his pace, could play both centrally and out wide, and he even carried the team at times.
But his time with Arsenal didn't end well as his performances dipped massively after signing that big money contract, and was soon stripped of the captaincy and forced out the club due to one or two disciplinary issues.
Marc Overmars
Overmars was part of the Arsenal side that won their first Premier League title in 1998 and an integral part of it too as he netted 12 times and all of them were key in the Gunners winning the title.
He was an exceptional dribbler with the ball on his day as he could carry it a long distance, had bags of skill, and could run with it at an incredible pace.
He was effective without the ball also as he would make runs in behind defences and did so with pace, which caused defences problems.
His goal returns did drop in the two seasons after his first one, but he still impressed with his pace and added more assists to his game.
Theo Walcott
Walcott was probably the quickest player in the Premier League on his day and whenever you talk about him, you immediately say that he was quick.
He had such a bright suture ahead of him when he first emerged as he joined Arsenal from Southampton at the age of just 16 before being a surprise inclusion in the England squad for the 2006 World Cup.
He was one of my favourites players to watch when he was at Arsenal because of how quick he was and his ability to score goals.
But he didn't quite live up to his full potential and it was probably because of injuries as they were what held him back.
There was that big injury he picked up against Spurs in the FA Cup and it was arguably a turning point in his career as he didn't have the same impact after that injury.
He did still have some good moments after that injury like the goal he scored in the FA Cup final, but he wasn't as effective as he was before the injury as he didn't score as many goals.
Jamie Vardy
Vardy's pace has been a key part of his game throughout his career and even when he entered the latter years of his career.
His pace was key to how Leicester played during their title winning season in 2016 as their tactics most of the time were to get the ball up to him to run onto, whether the ball was coming from either Riyad Mahrez or Danny Drinkwater who were often the suppliers for his goals.
He still had that pace even as he entered his 30's which is the stage of a player's career where their pace begins to decrease, and one reason why he still had it is because he picked moments in games when to use it.
A lot of players adapt their game as they get older and Vardy was one of them by saving his energy and using his pace in moments when it was needed.
Heung Min Son
Son caused defenders all kinds of problems with his pace throughout his time at Spurs both with and without the ball in making runs in behind without it, and running past players with it.
Spurs were always a better team when he was available because of what he offered out of possession in energy and work rate as well as his pace.
He was an exceptional runner with the ball and he showed it when he scored that incredible solo goal against Burnley, where he used his pace to run almost the length of the pitch and beat several Burnley players on his way to putting the ball in the net. That goal win the PUSCAS award in 2020.
He recently left Spurs for the MLS and he's going to be a big miss for them because of how good a player he was throughout his time with the club.
Sadio Mane
Mane was one of the quickest players in the Premier League on his day because of his incredible pace which used to terrify Premier League defenders.
He was the one who led the press when he was at Liverpool because of his energy and work rate, both of which made him one of Liverpool's most important players.
Liverpool were arguably better team when he was available because of his energy levels and work rate off the ball, which enabled him to lead the press from the front.
He was a player with potential at Southampton where he showed a lot of promise. But it was at Liverpool where his game went onto another level as he went on to become one one of the best attacking players in Europe.
Mohamed Salah
Salah had to be my no.1 because of the player he's gone on to become and what he's achieved since he's been at Liverpool.
His pace has terrified defenders over the years because of how lightning quick he is and some of his goals have come from him using his pace.
He's taken Liverpool onto another level since he's been at the club with the goals he's scored and he's only going to get more after signing that new contract last season.
He was a talented player with potential when he first arrived at Anfield, and since then he's grown into one of the finest attacking players in Europe.
MY TOP 10:
Mohamed Salah
Sadio Mane
Heung Min Son
Jamie Vardy
Theo Walcott
Marc Overmars
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Arjen Robben
Hector Bellerin
Adama Traore
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