Who is the shortest player in the Premier League and where does your team’s smallest player rank?
- Matt Whiley
- 16 April 2022
Planet Sport crunches the numbers to find out every Premier League team’s smallest player and sees where the squads rank for average height.
Size isn't everything, it's what you do with it, as these diminutive Premier League players prove.
Using the figures from transfermarkt.com, Planet Sport has picked out each top-flight club's smallest player and assessed the 20 sides' overall squad height.
Arsenal
Mikel Arteta is in charge of the joint-eighth-smallest squad in the Premier League according to the numbers, with the Gunners having an average height of 182.1cm (5ft 11½in). Arteta himself is 7cm (2¾in) shorter than that.
It is right-back Cedric Soares who is the Gunners' smallest, though, standing at 171cm (5ft 7¼in). Soares previously played for Sporting Lisbon and Coimbra in Portugal, as well as Southampton and Inter Milan.
Aston Villa
Steven Gerrard's men sit joint-eighth with Arsenal in the overall height rankings, also with a collective average of 182.1cm (5ft 11½in). Team talks are a little easier at Villa Park, though, with the manager being 0.5cm (0.2in) taller than his squad.
He is certainly taller than his former Liverpool teammate Philippe Coutinho, who, at 172cm (5ft 7½in) is the shortest member of his side. Alongside his spell at Liverpool, the Brazilian has previously represented Inter Milan, Vasco da Gama, Espanyol, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich.
Brentford
Newly-promoted Brentford might wish the Premier League was ranked by height, because the Bees have the third-tallest squad in the league, with an average of 183.8cm (6ft ¾in). The fact they have several Danish players - statistically the third-tallest nation on Earth - might help to explain that.
However, manager Thomas Frank, a Dane himself, does not quite fit that, standing 8cm (3in) shorter than his squad. Fortunately for him, he does have someone in his dressing room who he can at least stand taller than, with former Walsall left-back Rico Henry being his shortest player, at 170cm (5ft 7in).
Brighton
Graham Potter is 185cm (6ft 1in), making him 3cm (1in) taller than his squad, who, on average, stand at 182cm (5ft 11½in). That makes them the seventh-smallest team in the division.
The man right at the bottom of the Seagulls' squad list by height is wing-back Tariq Lamptey, who is in fact the third-shortest player in the entire Premier League. The former Chelsea man is just 164cm (5ft 4½in) tall.
Burnley
Many may believe Burnley are among the tallest squads in the league, given their aerially-dominant playing style. However, even with the addition of 197cm (6ft 5½in) striker Wout Weghorst, the Clarets are still only the sixth-tallest in the league, with an average height of 182.9cm (6ft).
Again, a short Burnley player feels like a logical impossibility, but the smallest member of their squad is only one place above Lamptey in the entire league-wide rankings. He is former Leeds, Tottenham, Everton, and Kayserispor winger Aaron Lennon, and he stands at 165cm (5ft 5in) tall.
Chelsea
Thomas Tuchel oversees a Blues squad that is the fourth-tallest in the league, with an average height of 183.6cm (6ft ¼in). Fortunately for the German boss, he can still exert a degree of physical superiority over his team, as he stands at 190cm (6ft 3in).
That makes him a full 22cm (8½in) taller than his shortest player, who is midfielder N'Golo Kante. The tireless Frenchman, who previously played for Boulogne, Caen and Leicester, stands at 168cm (5ft 6¼in).
Crystal Palace
From a short French midfielder to a very tall one, and former Les Bleus midfielder Patrick Vieira, now boss of Palace, is the tallest manager in the top flight at 192cm (6ft 3'½in).
His Palace squad largely follows his lead, too, being the second-tallest in the top flight, with an average height of 184.2cm (6ft ½in). The shortest member of that above-average squad is youngster Reece Hannam, who is 169cm (5ft 6½in) tall.
Everton
There's not been much for Frank Lampard's side to proudly stand tall about this season as they continue to scrap with relegation. The Toffees are likely another side wishing the league was ranked on height, with their squad average of 182.2cm (5ft 11¾in) putting them safely in the middle of the pack when it comes to those rankings.
Lampard himself is, haha, obviously taller than that! But no, seriously, he's 184cm (6ft ½in), making him a full 10cm (4in) taller than the shortest member of his squad, who is former Leeds, Aston Villa, and Manchester City midfielder Fabian Delph.
Leeds
Talking of Leeds, their squad is also among the shorter sets of players in the league, with an average height of 181.7cm (5ft 11½in). Recently-appointed manager Jesse Marsch slots into that very well, with the American's own height being only a fraction shorter at 180cm (5'ft 10¾in).
Considerably shorter than both the squad average and the boss, though, is young midfielder Jamie Shackleton, who, at 168cm (5ft 6¼in), is the Whites' smallest player.
Leicester
At 170cm (5ft 7in), Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers is the shortest boss in the league, and is a whole 12cm (4½in) shorter than the average of his squad. That squad average puts the Foxes joint-seventh in the rankings.
There are some who measure out at the same height as Rodgers, but there is only one man in the Leicester squad who is definitely shorter than him. That is midfielder Nampalys Mendy, who, at 167cm (5ft 5¾in), is the joint-sixth shortest player in the entire top flight.
Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp's Reds are flying high this season, and they're proving that height isn't everything as they do so, with a squad that sits only joint-seventh in the league rankings at 182.8cm (6ft). Klopp himself is among the taller managers in the league, standing at 191cm (6ft 3¼in).
The shortest member of his squad is former Fulham winger/midfielder Harvey Elliott, who may yet have a final bit of growing to do, given his age of just 19, but as of now, he stands at 170cm (5ft 7in).
Manchester City
Height certainly isn't everything for success, as especially proven by City. Pep Guardiola's men are officially the joint-smallest in the division, with an average squad height of 181.1cm (5ft 11¼in). Guardiola himself is another who fits into his squad average comfortably, standing at 180cm (5ft 10¾in).
The man who is the shortest member of the champions' squad is young Norwegian winger Oscar Bobb, who is still only 18, but stands just 169cm (5ft 6½ft).
Manchester United
Over in the red half of Manchester, things could scarcely be more different - yes, in the serious business of a footballing sense, but also in this matter of height - as United in fact have the tallest squad in the league. The Red Devils are, on average, 184.7cm (6ft ¾in) tall.
That means several members of Ralf Rangnick's squad will stand above him, with the German being 181cm (5'11¼in) tall himself. However, one man the boss can certainly face downwards when speaking to is Brazilian midfielder Fred, who stands a fair bit shorter at 169cm (5ft 6½in).
Newcastle
When you encounter a player with the nickname 'Wee Man', you can probably lump a fair bit of money on that player being his team's shortest. So it has proven with Newcastle's Ryan Fraser, who is the second-shortest man in the entire top flight and stands at just 163cm (5ft 4¼in) - we imagine he never tires of using the quarter.
That puts the Scotsman, who has previously played for Aberdeen, Bournemouth, and Ipswich, a full 17cm (7in) shorter than his boss Eddie Howe, and even more than the Magpies' squad average, which is 182cm (5ft 11½in).
Norwich
From Magpies to Canaries, and our next stop on this unorthodox tour of the Premier League is Carrow Road, where we discover a Norwich side with a squad average height of 181.4cm, making them the joint-third-shortest in the division.
The man at the bottom of their particular rankings is attacking midfielder Tony Springett, who is more prevalent for their under-23s but is included in their squad list. He is 170cm (5ft 7in) tall.
Southampton
There is another short squad on the south coast, with the Saints' squad average of 181.1cm (5ft 11¼in) seeing them named as the joint-smallest in the top flight, alongside Manchester City. It is a squad somewhat at odds with manager Ralph Hasenhuttl's own height of 191cm (6ft 3¼in).
The Austrian boss may be taller than the majority of his squad, and one man he most certainly has no trouble towering over is full-back Kyle Walker-Peters, who, at 173cm (5ft 8in) is Southampton's smallest.
Tottenham
In north London, Antonio Conte heads up the fourth-tallest squad in the division, with an average height of 183.7cm (6ft ¼in). The Italian himself is a little shorter than that, at 178cm (5ft 10in).
It is young midfielder Harvey White who somewhat brings down the Spurs squad average, though, standing 168cm (5ft 6¼in) tall.
Watford
Across the top of the M25, we come to Vicarage Road, and although they are struggling against relegation in the real table, Watford are safely in the middle of the pack in the squad height rankings. They have the ninth-tallest in the league, with an average of 182.5cm (5ft 11¾in).
The shortest member of their squad is left-back Hassane Kamara, who, alongside Spurs' White, is also 168cm (5ft 6¼in) tall.
West Ham
Back over to east London, and although spectators might certainly wish they were somewhat taller in an effort to see more of the faraway pitch at the oval-shaped London Stadium, the Irons on the field average out at a somewhat smaller-than-average 181.7cm (5ft 11½in).
The man who could be considered most responsible for dragging the average of David Moyes' side down is midfielder Manuel Lanzini, who, at 167cm (5ft 5¾in), is a whole 18cm (7in) shorter than his manager.
Wolves
Last but not least, we come to Wolves, and it was certainly worth the wait, because it is Bruno Lage's squad that has the single shortest player in the entire Premier League.
Wolves may have a squad average of 183cm (6ft), putting them a respectable sixth in that metric, but it is left-back Dexter Lembikisa, who at 160cm (5ft 3in) tall, does not have a single fellow Premier League player whom he is taller than.
