Arsenal’s fastest player also tops table for most sprints | OneFootball

Gabriel Martinelli is both Arsenal’s fastest player and also their most frequent sprinter, according to the stats so far this season.

LONDON, ENGLAND: Gabriel Martinelli of Arsenal reacts during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Arsenal FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 15, 2024. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

According to Opta statistics, Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli is the fifth fastest player in the Premier League. Only Spurs’ Micky van de Ven, Carlos Forbs of Wolves, Anthony Elanga of Nottingham Forest, and Erling Haaland of Manchester City are quicker.

As a result, the Brazilian is the Gunners’ quickest player, with a top speed of 35.6 km/h.

Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli (R) fights for the ball with Manchester United’s James Scanlon during the pre-season club friendly football match between Manchester United FC and Arsenal FC at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on July 27, 2024. (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

The BBC report that Martinelli is also putting that speed to good use. Not only is he the quickest, he’s also completing more sprints than any other Arsenal player – 119 so far this season.

That’s particularly impressive in context, as eight players have played more minutes than Martinelli for Arsenal this season. He’s only played 442 of 630 league minutes, whilst four members of Mikel Arteta’s squad have played all 630.

From the league’s five fastest players, all four of the others have completed fewer sprints than Martinelli, and neither van de Ven nor Forbs even lead their respective clubs for sprints completed.

LONDON, ENGLAND: Kai Havertz of Arsenal celebrates scoring during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD2 match between Arsenal FC and Paris Saint-Germain at Emirates Stadium on October 01, 2024. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Yet Martinelli isn’t the frontrunner for all of Arsenal’s running statistics. Though he sprints more often than anyone else, he can’t match Kai Havertz for distance completed.

The German leads Arsenal with 77km completed in seven games, an average of 11km per match.

Perhaps it’s no surprise that both players have had enforced rests to nurse injuries over the current international break. They’re clearly working hard on matchdays.