Every Premier League team’s tallest player in 2023/24

Highlights

• Height can play a significant role in football, influencing a player’s ability to win aerial duels and make an impact in the box.
• Goalkeepers often dominate the list of tallest players in teams, showcasing the importance of height in covering more of the goal and claiming crosses efficiently.
• But there are examples of shorter goalkeepers, such as Jordan Pickford, excelling between the sticks.

Football is about so many different skills. Speed, intelligence, strength, technique and so much more. But sometimes, it can’t be overlooked how important a core attribute such as height can be.

While not meaning to take anything away from Peter Crouch, he might not have scored the most headed goals (40) in Premier League history if he didn’t stand at 201cm (6ft 7in) tall. That Harry Kane (188cm, 6ft 2in) has matched that record, goes to prove that it’s not all about height.

Even so, at every level of football, physicality matters. Scouting departments and managers will often take into account a player’s height before signing a player. With that being the case, GIVEMESPORT has constructed a list of every Premier League team’s tallest player during the 2023/24 season.

All height statistics are taken from

WhoScored

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Arsenal

Kai Havertz – 193cm, 6ft 4in

When we think of Kai Havertz, physicality might not necessarily be the first attribute we associate with the German. He’s known for gliding into the box with well-time runs from deep, and some may even consider him to be a little weedy with his slender frame.

And yet, he stands as Arsenal’s tallest player. He puts his size to use too. Indeed, able to play as a midfielder or lead the line in attack, Havertz has won 2.2 aerial duels per game in the Premier League this season, which is only bettered by Gabriel Magalhaes. He is also the fifth-heaviest player on the team at 83kg, which goes to show why he can be such a presence in the box – even if that’s not always apparent on the TV screen.

Aston Villa

Robin Olsen 198cm, 6ft 6in

It’s certainly no surprise to see a goalkeeper make this list so early on. Perhaps more than any other position on the football pitch, height is important to goalkeepers as the bigger they are the more of the goal they can cover – not to mention it can help them claim crosses with more ease.

Robin Olsen just pips Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings to this accolade (by 2cm), with first-choice goalkeeper Emi Martinez next on the list. Despite his height advantage, the Swede very much plays second-fiddle between the sticks to the Argentine at Villa Park, with just one league appearance to his name so far in 2023/24.

Bournemouth

Chris Mepham – 193cm, 6ft 4in

When you think of a target man, Kieffer Moore really is the archetype. Not only is he the tallest of all the Bournemouth players at 6ft 5in, he’s also the heaviest – weighing 89kg. The Welsh striker has only ever scored five goals for the Cherries in the Premier League but at least he’s used his large frame well for those, with four of his efforts being headers.

Despite his physical advantage, though, he’s only won an average of 0.8 aerial duel per game this term in the league. In comparison, Dominic Solanke – who is 9cm smaller than Moore – wins 2.4 per game, which might he only played eight times before being loaned out to Championship club Ipswich Town in January 2024. In his place, Chris Mepham steps in as the tallest player currently at Bournemouth, standing at 193cm (6ft 4in).

Brentford

Kristoffer Ajer – 198cm, 6ft 6in

Those who watch Brentford with any regularity, won’t be surprised to learn that Norwegian giant Kristoffer Ajer is their tallest footballer. The 25-year-old isn’t necessarily a first-name-on-the-team-sheet player for Thomas Frank though. Perhaps this is because he has inferior stats when it comes to aerial duels won in comparison to other defenders Ethan Pinnock, Ben Mee and Nathan Collins.

Most interestingly for Brentford, is that Ivan Toney stands at only 179cm which is under 6ft tall. Despite that, the English striker has a reputation for being one of the biggest physical threats in the game and attempts a whopping 7.5 aerial duels per game – the next closest after him is Pinnock (5.7).

Brighton & Hove Albion

Bart Verbruggen – 193cm, 6ft 4in

Bart Verbruggen arrived in the summer from Anderlecht to help fill the void left by Robert Sanchez, who joined Chelsea. He might be four centre-meters smaller than the Spaniard, but Verbruggen is now the tallest player at Brighton.

With 11 Premier League appearances, the Dutch goalkeeper has shared minutes with Jason Steele (188cm 6ft 2in) who has started the other 14 matches this season. Verbruggen averages 2.7 saves per game, compared to Steele’s 2.6 – so that height advantage might just give him the edge on that front.

Burnley

James Trafford – 197cm, 6ft 5.5in

James Trafford is still only just 21 years of age, which is pretty young for a goalkeeper to have established himself as a first-choice option in a Premier League side. Despite his tender age, though, he certainly doesn’t have any growing left to do as he stands at 197cm – the tallest of all Burnley players.

Trafford at least uses his height well inside his own box. For example, of all 36 goalkeepers to have played in the league this season, as per FBREF, he ranks joint-third when it comes to crosses into his box stopped (with 28 prevented).

Chelsea

Robert Sanchez – 197cm, 6ft 5.5in

As mentioned earlier, Sanchez used to be Brighton’s biggest goalkeeper and he has maintained that accolade despite making the move to Chelsea this summer. With Kepa Arrizabalaga and Edouard Mendy leaving Stamford Bridge that same window, the Spaniard was Mauricio Pochettino’s number one until picking up a knee injury.

Djordje Petrovic (194cm) has since come in between the sticks and has now played 10 times in the Premier League this term. Sanchez appears to be better at stopping crosses into his box, preventing 1.19 per game, compared to his teammate’s 0.77.

Crystal Palace

Sam Johnstone – 193cm, 6ft 4in

Once more, we have a goalkeeper standing tallest for their team, and this time it is Sam Johnstone for Crystal Palace. Interestingly enough, after the goalie there are four more players – James Tomkins, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Joachim Anderson and Chris Richards – all taller than Dean Henderson.

Henderson had been the number one under Roy Hodgson but lost his spot in the team to Johnstone in the first game after the veteran coach departed Selhurst Park. It remains to be seen who new manager Oliver Glasner will prefer, but if the Austrian prioritises height, the decision will be simple.

Everton

Jarrad Branthwaite – 195cm, 6ft 4.8in

Jordan Pickford is famously quite smaller for a goalkeeper, so he was never going to be Everton’s tallest player. That status is instead held by talented centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite – who is 10cm taller than his 185cm goalkeeper (who is only the 12th tallest in the team).

Per game, he averages the joint-most interceptions (1.8) in the Toffees’ squad, the second-most shots blocked (0.8), and wins the third-most aerial duels (2.6) – which suggests he’s more than happy to use his large frame to make a difference. Although perhaps his long legs didn’t help when he went shoulder-to-shoulder with Erling Haaland and got flattened, as the Manchester City ace scored at the Etihad in February.

Fulham

Tosin Adarabioyo -196cm, 6ft 5in

Fulham are quite a big team, with seven first-team players all taller than 190cm, but Tosin Adarabioyo stands as the biggest of the lot. He’s more than just a big lump too. Indeed, in December 2023, his manager Marco Silva praised him, saying: “The way he can defend the box but also on the ball he is a special player for me, the way I want to play, the way he can build [from the back].”

He certainly knows how to use his size, though, as he wins 3.5 aerial duels per game, which is more than anyone else in the team, and two more than defensive partner Tim Ream (1.5). He’s also second when it comes to clearances, making an average of 4.4 every match.

Liverpool

Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip – 195cm, 6ft 4.8in

What’s better than one big defender who is calm on the ball and dominant in the air? Well, why not too? That seems to have been the plan for Jurgen Klopp when building his team, and that seems to have gone pretty well for Liverpool.

Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip – who both stand at 195cm, 6ft 4.8in – have been at Anfield for every trophy the Reds have won under the German (starting together in the Champions League and League Cup final triumphs). When all is said and done, their partnership at Liverpool will be the stuff of legend.

Luton Town

Mads Andersen – 194cm, 6ft 4.3in

Luton Town have impressed many during their debut campaign as a Premier League club, but unfortunately tallest player Mads Andersen hasn’t had the best season. Indeed, in all four games he’s started, the Hatters have tasted defeat – and he’s only seen his side keep one clean sheet during the ten matches he’s played in all competitions this term.

He did at least score in one of those games – a 2-1 loss at home against West Ham – and, you guessed it, that effort just so happened to be a header. Despite his size advantage, however, Andersen only ranks ninth in Rob Edwards’ team when it comes to aerial duels won – with 1.4 per game.

Manchester City

Erling Haaland – 194cm, 6ft 4.3in

When trying to design a goalscoring machine, it makes sense to give them all the best physical stats. Strength, speed, power – Haaland has it all and more. Add to that the fact that he is the tallest man in the Man City squad, and you can see why he’s such a persistent presence in opposition penalty boxes.

His size allows him to score all types of goals, and 10 of his 53 Premier League strikes (coming in just 55 games) have been headers. To put that in perspective, this is only one fewer than Cristiano Ronaldo managed during his 256-game English top-flight career.

Manchester United

Harry Maguire – 194cm, 6ft 4.3in

Harry Maguire first came to the attention of many fans across the globe when he had an excellent 2018 World Cup. In that tournament, England made the semi-finals and Maguire, who started all but one game, picked up a goal and an assist using his head.

That helped secure an £80m move to Manchester United in the summer, where it’s fair to say he’s had a mixed time. As the tallest man in the squad, it hasn’t been easy for him to hide when things have gone wrong but the centre-back has steadily proven his critics wrong with a number of more consistent displays of late.

Newcastle United

Dan Burn -198cm, 6ft 6in

This is perhaps the easiest one to predict in the whole Premier League, with Dan Burn right up there with the very biggest of them. Indeed, standing at 198cm (6ft 6in), the Newcastle United defender towers over most opponents.

Despite his height advantage, Burn actually wins fewer aerial duels than one of his teammates. Jamaal Lascelles, who is 11cm smaller, manages 3.4 per game, compared to 3.1. Still, this may be influenced by the fact that he plays at centre-back and so attempts more (5) than Burn who plays at left-back (4.3).

Nottingham Forest

Willy Boly – 195cm, 6ft 4.8in

Standing at the same height as fellow Premier League centre-backs Van Dijk and Matip, Willy Boly is the tallest man in the Nottingham Forest squad. Weighing 92kg, he’s also 5kg heavier than any of his teammates.

It seems Forest’s plan for top-flight survival hinges on having a pretty large squad with 23 of their 33 players to feature in the league this season standing at 6 foot or taller. At the other end of the scale, Morgan Gibbs-White is the smallest at 171cm (5ft 7in). No wonder he’s such a different player to Boly.

Sheffield United

Anel Ahmedhodzic and Ivo Grbic – 195cm, 6ft 4.8in

Yet another central defender who stands at 195cm (6ft 4.8in), Anel Ahmedhodzic has worn the captain’s armband for the most part this season at Sheffield United – with John Eagan missing from action since October due to injury. He is the joint tallest player in the team with Ivo Grbic just as big.

The Croatian goalkeeper only arrived this winter, signing from Atletico Madrid for an undisclosed fee. He made his debut in the FA Cup, before then playing his first Premier League game against Crystal Palace. Sadly, both games were defeats and he conceded seven goals across the two fixtures, despite coming off injured during one match.

Tottenham Hotspur

Guglielmo Vicario – 194cm, 6ft 4.3in

It seems as though Ange Postecoglou is keen to bring some height to Tottenham Hotspur as their three tallest men have all joined since the Australian took over. Guglielmo Vicario leads the way, but Micky van de Ven is just 1cm smaller, and Radu Dragusin is then 2cm off his defensive teammate.

Vicario has had an excellent debut season in goal for Spurs so far, arriving as a relative unknown but impressing many. In terms of his Post-Shot Expected Goals minus Goals Allowed (PSxG-GA) – which is essentially how many goals he’s conceded vs how many he would have been expected to save – he’s on a positive of +6.3, which is the best in the league (via FBREF).

West Ham United

Alphonse Areola – 195cm, 6ft 4.8in

Talking of PSxG-GA, West Ham United goalkeeper Alphonse Areola also ranks pretty well on this metric. His score of +1.5 is the seventh-best in the league. The Frenchman has taken over as the Hammers’ number one of late, when Lukasz Fabianski had previously held that role.

Areola is 5cm taller than his Polish teammate, but his promotion is probably more to do with Fabianski’s age (now 38) than anything height-related. He averages 4 saves per game, compared to the Pole’s 2.2, so it’s a good thing he’s got a bit more youthful energy to dive about the London Stadium all afternoon.

Wolves

Max Kilman – 194cm, 6ft 4.3in

Now, at the start of this season, Sasa Kalajdzic was Wolves’ tallest player at 200cm but he has since been loaned to Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt. This means Max Kilman takes up the mantle on this particular list.

The 194cm (6ft 4.3in) English centre-back is 2cm taller than goalkeeper Jose Sa but interestingly enough is best known for having progressed into the world of professional football via futsal. The indoor five-aside game is more about technical skill and speed than anything else, so Kilman’s height advantage may not have mattered much in that sport. However, it likely would have helped him adapt as he became the only international futsal player to play in the Premier League.