Arsenal and Spurs track Bundesliga's fastest-ever winger Bahoya

Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are monitoring Jean-Matteo Bahoya, the Eintracht Frankfurt winger who became the first player in recorded Bundesliga history to exceed 37 km/h in a match. For context, Usain Bolt's average speed during his 100-metre world record in 2009 was 37.58 km/h.

The interest from north London is not casual. Bahoya completed 2.78 take-ons per 90 minutes last season, a figure that places him above 94 per cent of wingers across Europe's top five leagues. Only four Premier League players and two Bundesliga players outperformed him on that metric.

For Frankfurt, the attention follows a familiar pattern. Hugo Ekitike and Omar Marmoush, two recent attacking talents developed at the club, have already moved to the Premier League. Bahoya, who arrived from French second-division side Angers two-and-a-half years ago as a shy teenager, now looks set to test the same route.

The tactical context explains the premium. Premier League managers are increasingly confronting man-to-man pressing systems, and a winger who can reliably beat his marker in isolation is among the most valuable assets in breaking those structures. Bahoya's U17 coach at Angers, Manu Guidicelli, describes him as "unpredictable," capable of running from deep, operating between the lines or hugging the touchline.

His Frankfurt team-mate Junior Dina Ebimbe is more direct. "In his first step, he kills you," Ebimbe said. "He really plays one v one. He's not scared to take his man on."

Yet raw athleticism alone does not set a transfer fee. Bahoya has invested heavily in physical development since arriving in Germany underweight and frequently knocked off the ball. Ebimbe noted the transformation: "He was too slight when he joined. Everyone pushed him. He was always on the floor." Last season, Bahoya ranked in the top 11 per cent of European wingers for duels won per 90 and the top 10 per cent for interceptions.

The remaining question is output. Four goals and four assists across the full campaign is modest for a player generating 2.1 chances per 90, itself a top-10-per-cent figure among wingers in the big five leagues. He scored three times in his first three matches last season before his returns tailed off.

Ebimbe, who calls Bahoya his "little brother," put the challenge bluntly: "For sure, he needs to score more goals. You can run everywhere on the pitch, but we only remember who scores."

Guidicelli recalls a different version of the player. In the season Bahoya spent under him at Angers' academy, the forward scored 30 goals in 25 games. "He was an offensive leader of the team," Guidicelli said. "When he feels good in a team, he fully expresses his potential."

Whether a top-six Premier League move provides that environment, or whether Frankfurt retains him for another season of development, will shape one of the summer's quieter but more consequential transfer decisions.