Every Premier League Club's Longest-Serving Active Player | OneFootball

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Albeit for its current short hiatus thanks to the international break, the 2023/24 Premier League is underway after a long summer of mouth-watering fees, controversy and a whole heap of nerves. Pep Guardiola’s imperious Manchester City will be looking for their fourth crown on the bounce, while the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United will be looking to knock them off their perch.

At the other end of the spectrum, Sheffield United, Burnley and Luton Town will have to avoid relegation after enjoying a promotion-worthy season in 2022/23, while longstanding Premier League side Everton are also tasked with retaining their credibility as a topflight side.

For each of the 20 teams, whatever their objective for the new campaign is, will need ample experience and leadership to flourish. And while both attributes come in all shapes and sizes, every manager will find heaps of it in players that have spent years of their career at the club.

That got us thinking. Using Transfermarkt’s database as a guide, we took a look at every team’s longest-serving asset for the 2023/24 season, and some of the answers are interesting. Strap yourselves in.

Arsenal – Mohamed Elneny

Elneny was the only man to arrive at the shores on north London in the winter transfer window of 2016. Unable to cement himself as a starter, the midfielder joined Besiktas for a loan spell in 2019/20. Many thought that would initiate a sale on his return, though he re-entered the fray and is believed to be an important figure, despite his lack of game time.

Aston Villa – John McGinn

Having become one of the Premier League’s most underappreciated engine room performer, McGinn has also established himself as a Villa Park fan favourite. The Scot has played 189 times for the Villans, scoring 18 and notching an additional 26 assists during that sequence. With still four years remaining on his contract with his current employers, the club captain is expected to continue making his mark there for a while.

Bournemouth – Adam Smith

Plundering 344 games for one club is no easy feat. We’re not sure if it’s the golden beaches or the smell of the fresh sea air, but something’s telling us that Smith likes it down south. Out of 181 games in the top division, just one of those came for his boyhood club Tottenham Hotspur, but he has since etched himself into the history of Bournemouth from being right in the trenches all the way up to rubbing shoulders with England’s very elite.

Brentford – Rico Henry

The Englishman has actually been at the club for seven years and joined when they were targeting a 10th-place finish in the Championship under Dean Smith. A little bit later down the line, and Henry has been a key part to Brentford standing firm in their Premier League status, having teetered over the 200-game milestone in the early stages of the current season. At just 26 years old, Henry’s stint at the capital club could just keep extending.

Brighton – Lewis Dunk

As he graduated from the Brighton academy, the club – who are so typically good at picking up lesser-known talent – knew they had a long-term centre-back already at their disposal. The Englishman played his maiden senior game in April 2010 when Brighton were battling it out, and now he is one of the club’s most consistent performers in the top flight, all while having the captains' armband hugging his bicep. A Brighton legend.

Burnley – Johann Berg Gudmundsson

Gudmundsson arrived at Turf Moor in 2016 alongside Nick Pope as the two moved from Charlton Athletic to Burnley for a combined transfer package of £3.5m. The English stopper has since moved on to pastures new, however, though Gudmundsson has stayed true to himself, all while helping Burnley make an immediate return to the top flight under the refreshing watch of Vincent Kompany.

Chelsea – Reece James

As Callum Hudson-Odoi packed his bags and moved to Nottingham Forest, James leapfrogged him to become Chelsea’s most loyal employee, having spent just over four years of his career in west London. Over the summer, the 24-year-old defender, who has been at the club since six years old, became club captain following the departure of Cesar Azpilicueta and will look to follow in the footsteps of the Spaniard.

Crystal Palace – Joel Ward

Signing for a mere £400,000 from Portsmouth in 2012, it’s fair to say the seasoned defender has proven his worth. Ward, 33, has played 339 games for Palace, with 285 of those coming in the Premier League. As such, he ranks second in the club’s Premier League appearance rankings.

Everton – Seamus Coleman

Having spent just shy of 15 years at the Toffees, the right-back has certainly earned himself cult hero status and has all the ingredients to be just that. Former Everton chief Frank Lampard once admitted that Coleman was “one of the best people” he had ever met. His morals and standards are second to none, and he has shown true character in his 352-game stint in the top division.

Fulham – Tom Cairney

Since moving to Craven Cottage eight years ago, Cairney has been an immovable object at times having racked up a whopping 287-games, scoring 43 goals and notching 32 assists across that period. In that time, he has been a figurehead in seeing Fulham promoted on three separate occasions. The two-cap Scotland international, whose contract runs out next summer, is the capital club’s skipper and will be fondly remembered should he pack his bags and leave in the foreseeable future.

Liverpool – Joe Gomez

As Saudi Arabia-bound Jordan Henderson called time on his Anfield career, it left the door wide open for Gomez to take his spot. Thanks to a whole heap of injury woes, Gomez has been a fringe player during Jurgen Klopp’s tenure, despite once touted to be Virgil van Dijk’s ideal centre-back partner.

Luton Town – Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu

Mpanzu’s journey through the English football pyramid is loyalty in its simplest form. He moved to the Hatters when they were plying their trade in the 2013/14 National League campaign and has been heavily influential throughout their rise. To top it off, after his club won the 2023 Championship play-off final, he wrote his name into the history books as he became the first player to win promotion from the fifth tier to the Premier League with the same club.

Manchester City - Kevin De Bruyne

Amazingly, the gifted Belgian is the only pre-Pep Guardiola asset left in the squad. His £55m arrival turned a few noses up once it had hit the headlines, but now the Manchester-based club are the ones having the last laugh. Eight trophy-ladened campaigns later, and he has entered the conversation of being the Premier League’s best-ever midfielder.

Manchester United – Luke Shaw

Having joined Manchester United young and fresh-faced in 2013 from Southampton, not many people knew what to expect. A few tough formative years in Greater Manchester soon plateaued as he became a senior member of the English giants and often one of the first names of the team sheet, regardless of the manager.

Newcastle United – Paul Dummett

Looking beyond loan stints with Gateshead and St Mirren, the defender has spent the entirety of his player career in Tyneside. Granted, Dummett has fallen seriously out of favour under Eddie Howe’s watch thanks to the club’s exuberant spend since their takeover. The 31-year-old only made one senior appearance last season, but will be remembered as he played in 45 of the Magpies’ 46 games as they were flung back into the Premier League in 2017.

Nottingham Forest – Joe Worrall

Forest’s squad has been subject to mass change of late, with players coming and going like it’s going out fashion, but there has been one constant throughout: Joe Worrall. The centre-back rose through the ranks and became a senior debutant in 2016. Hitting the milestone of 200 club appearances came in 2022/23 and with the armband wrapped around his arm, he remains one of the select few to stay on following their promotion-worthy season.

Sheffield United – Chris Basham

Basham joined from Blackpool for free back in 2014 and has been nothing but a fine servant to the Blades ever since. With three promotions under his belt at the club, his two-year contract extensive in 2022 means he will hit double figures in terms of years spent at the club at the end of this campaign.

Tottenham Hotspur – Hugo Lloris

It seems odd typing this out and not seeing Harry Kane’s name at the top of Spurs’ list and instead seeing their now longest-serving player’s name: Hugo Lloris. The Frenchman is no longer, since Ange Postecoglou took charge and signed Guglielmo Vicario, the north Londoners’ first choice in net. And while his Spurs career has begun a sour decline, it’s important for their fans to remember the 36-year-old has been there through a trophy drought and has played a monstrous 444 games for the club so far.

West Ham United – Aaron Cresswell

331 appearances for one club is a fantastic achievement, especially as he made 218 elsewhere beforehand. The Liverpool-born defender has, however, failed to appear for the Londoners so far this term and could be on the club’s chopping board come next summer. Since Mark Noble, also known as ‘Mr West Ham’ hung up his boots in 2022, the club have been crying out for someone to take over the reins. And while Cresswell will not fill the boots entirely, he’ll be a great presence at the club until he moves on.

Wolves – Max Kilman

Kilman has only been at the club since 2018 after joining from Maidenhead United – but maybe that’s a damning picture of how Wolves are operating in the market at the moment. The summer departures of longstanding trio Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and Adama Traore means the centre-back has taken over as their longest-serving member at the Old Gold.