Leeds United: Noah Okafor wants to break one Premier League record currently held by Tottenham star
Leeds United star Noah Okafor wants to be the Usain Bolt of football in the Premier League ahead of their FA Cup clash with Chelsea.
Okafor swapped AC Milan for Leeds for around £18million last summer, and so far, that has proven to be money well spent.
The 25-year-old has scored seven Premier League goals this season and contributed a further three assists in all competitions.
The Swiss international can be a frustrating player to watch at times, as he is guilty of losing the ball and he can flit in and out of games.
Before Leeds take on Chelsea in an FA Cup semi-final, it has emerged that the winger wants to break the Premier League’s top-speed record.
Noah Okafor vs Micky van de Ven
In an interview with The Athletic, Okafor's personal fitness coach, Rolf Fongue, says that the Swiss star wants to break Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven's top-speed record in the English top-flight.
That currently stands at 37.4 kilometres per hour (23.2mph), which he set in January 2024. According to Fongue, Okafor would be able to run the 100 metres in 10.9 or 11 seconds.
| Noah Okafor's season for Leeds | |
| Goals vs Expected Goals | Seven/4.94 |
| Big chances missed and created | Four/four |
| Successful dribbles per game | 1.4 (43 per cent) |
| Sofascore rating | 6.93 |
As a result, Fongue - who spends one week per month in Leeds working with his charge - is trying to get Okafor's top speed closer to 39 or 40kph. Even 100m world record holder Bolt has only clocked 44.7kph.
Okafor has a long way to go to reach such speeds, as he has only just about exceeded the 32kph (19.8mph) mark this term. That doesn't put him among the top 10 speed merchants in the Premier League this season.
According to the Premier League, Leeds’ Dan James does make it into that bracket for top speeds recorded, with the Welshman hitting 36.13kph against Newcastle United last August.
Meanwhile, Wolves’ Jackson Tchatchou has registered the two fastest sprints of the season so far (37.3kph and 36.97kph).
Either way, Chelsea will be wary of him if he starts at Wembley.
Leeds manage injury-prone players superbly
When the summer transfer window shut, many Leeds fans were understandably nervous after signing injury-prone players such as Okafor, Lukas Nmecha, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
However, among the trio this season, they have scored 24 goals, a total that could keep Leeds in the Premier League.
| Leeds United’s injury-prone players | Injuries/ailments | Days missed through injury |
| Calvert-Lewin | 18 | 729 |
| Nmecha | 14 | 736 |
| Okafor | 31 | 563 |
Incidentally, Leeds' medical team have worked wonders, with Nmecha, Okafor, and Calvert-Lewin missing just 13 league matches between them.
They could be key if Leeds want to reach their first FA Cup final since 1973.