Ryan Fraser has recurrently been one of many shortest gamers within the Premier League however now that he has parted methods together with his long-term supervisor Eddie Howe, his throne has been vacated.
Final yr, Dexter Lembikisa of Wolverhampton Wanderers truly got here in at three centimetres smaller than the diminutive Scotsman however the Jamaican teenager has since loved a progress spurt.
Fraser is now plying his commerce within the Championship with Russell Martin’s Southampton and so it’s time for an replace. We at Soccer FanCast have gathered data on who’s the smallest participant presently within the Premier League.
9
Raheem Sterling (1.7m)
Subsequent to somebody who shouldn’t be solely one of many shortest gamers within the Premier League but in addition probably the most gifted and achieved within the type of Raheem Sterling.
He burst onto the scene with Liverpool, received 4 league titles with Manchester Metropolis and is now making an attempt to show it round for himself at Chelsea off the again of a tough season.
Sterling has at all times been one of many shorter gamers in England’s high flight at 5ft 7in and that has helped in some ways, that low centre of gravity aiding his bobbing and weaving type of dribbling.
Sterling could also be small however considered one of his present Blues’ teammates is even smaller so keep tuned to seek out out who that’s.
8
Manuel Benson (1.69m)
Dropping down a single centimeter to the place we discover Burnley’s Manuel Benson.
Benson arrived at Turf Moor final summer season from Royal Antwerp and went on to contribute 11 targets and three assists to the Claret’s trigger from 33 appearances. 19 of his runouts did come from the bench and noticed he amassed a complete of 1,489 minutes, averaging out at a purpose contribution each 106 minutes which is a really respectable return certainly.
Nearly all of the wingers on the Burnley books function finest off of the left and so membership stalwart Johann Berg Gudmundsson is the primary man who competes with Benson for minutes.
7
Manor Solomon (1.69m)
Fulham would have featured on this checklist twice if it was produced a couple of months in the past however following Manor Solomon’s summer season switch that noticed him transfer throughout London, they’re out.
Of their place are Tottenham Hotspur who offered Harvey White to Stevenage and in the identical window, introduced in Solomon, previously of the Cottagers, two gamers who had been amongst the smallest within the division.
Solomon is an Israeli worldwide who was on mortgage in West London final yr from Shakhtar Donetsk. He appeared in 19 league video games that totalled 561 minutes, during which he managed 4 targets in addition to a purpose in considered one of his FA Cup outings.
His contract with the Ukrainian membership expired and while Fulham could have checked out making his stick with them everlasting, it was Spurs who beat them to it and added Manor Solomon to their ahead line.
6
Bobby Decordova-Reid (1.69m)
Speaking of Fulham and while Solomon is a factor of the previous for his or her followers, Bobby Decordova-Reid is definitely a member of the present crop.
He made his title in English soccer within the metropolis he was born in as he went from academy graduate to membership legend at Bristol Metropolis.
For some time it appeared that he was an excellent Championship participant however that was it, but right here he’s with 21 Premier League purpose contributions from over 6,500 minutes (on the time of writing).
The Jamaican worldwide is one other participant whose stature is a bonus of his as regardless of being somebody who can simply maintain his personal bodily, it permits him to be extra misleading in his second on and off of the ball.
5
Michael Obafemi (1.69m)
Transferring again to the newly promoted Burnley and considered one of their many strikers, Michael Obafemi.
After youth spells with the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal, it was clear that he was a really highly-rated expertise and it was Southampton the place he first bought an enormous break.
21 Premier League appearances for the Saints was his finest return for the top-flight and now after departing St. Mary’s, he’s again within the division with Vincent Kompany’s Burnley.
It’s not sure how a lot Obafemi will play and he has been coping with harm not too long ago however at 1.69m, he’s the start line for this checklist.
4
Rico Lewis (1.69cm)
Transferring on to the membership the place Raheem Sterling loved enormous success each individually and collectively, Manchester Metropolis.
Bernardo Silva would in all probability be most individuals’s guess for the shortest man in Pep Guardiola’s ranks however younger fullback Rico Lewis takes that honour as a substitute of the Portuguese worldwide.
Lewis is simply 18 and but he has been recurrently trusted by Guardiola to play numerous minutes which is at all times an indication of excellence, the identical having been seen with Phil Foden and Cole Palmer for instance.
The defender is 1cm shorter than Sterling and so edges his approach into joint eighth spot however given his age, a progress spurt or two could possibly be across the nook to take him off of this checklist altogether.
3
Tyrell Malacia (1.69cm)
Remaining in Manchester however switching over to the crimson half the place we’ve Tyrell Malacia as the primary man to seem on the rostrum.
Malacia, who can also be a large defender, is just about the identical peak as Rico Lewis however he was born truly born 5 years prior, in 1999.
Manchester United are confronted with their justifiable share of difficulties in the meanwhile each on and off of the sector and the identical video games for Malacia actually as he stays a back-up to Luke Shaw on that left flank.
He arrived at Outdated Trafford from Feyenoord as somebody from Rotterdam himself in the summertime of 2022 and was greeted by a combined reception from the Man United fanbase. The jury remains to be out.
2
Ian Maatsen (1.67m)
Claiming a silver medal is one other man who has been transferring about within the final yr or two, Ian Maatsen.
Maatsen excelled on mortgage within the Championship final season with Burnley below the stewardship of Vincent Kompany and following their title win and promotion, they tried to retain his providers.
It wasn’t to be for the younger Dutchman who has as a substitute remained at Chelsea the place he’s after all taking part in alongside one other man on this checklist, Raheem Sterling.
Maatsen is available in at 5ft 5in so he’s a few inches shorter than his Blues’ teammate and he can be trying to set up himself as an everyday at Stamford Bridge, probably with the ability to profit from the harm points that the membership have confronted within the fullback positions.
1
Tariq Lamptey (1.63m)
Lastly then to high spot and it’s somebody who has been backwards and forwards with Ryan Fraser when it comes to being the smallest participant since he made his mark within the Premier League.
Brighton is the vacation spot as soon as once more and Tariq Lamptey is the person in query.
The 22-year-old spent over a decade within the Cobham academy at Chelsea after which was given the possibility to make his first-team debut within the league towards Arsenal in 2019.
Frank Lampard was the supervisor to offer Lamptey that probability however the Ghanaian by no means featured once more for the Blues and so made the choice to seek for common soccer elsewhere.
The Amex was the touchdown spot for Lamptey and he has definitely made an influence on the membership, significantly through the occasions of covid, behind-closed-doors soccer. That being stated, accidents have hampered his growth and so we’ve solely seen him make eight Premier League appearances in 2023, and the one begin was in a 1-0 win over AFC Bournemouth.
Lamptey, at 1.63m or 5ft 4in, is the smallest participant within the league.