Loyalty defined - The longest serving players at one club in the Premier League right now

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There was a time where one club men or players who spent the majority of their careers at one club were fairly common in the Premier League. The likes of John Terry at Chelsea, Steven Gerrard at Liverpool and Tony Adams at Arsenal all became legends. Nowadays, with more money than ever in the game, agents constantly encouraging their players to take on lucrative transfers, and football more reactionary than ever, it’s a real rarity to see a one club man.

However, there are still some players that are proving loyalty still exists in the English top-flight. Here at Transfermarkt we have compiled the list of the top 30 longest serving players playing in the Premier League right now. We have counted loan moves as transfers so a loan deal would break up a period a player has spent at one club. You might be surprised to see who your team’s longest servant is. We have also put together the longest serving players for just the traditional ‘Big six’ clubs.

The longest serving players at one club in the Premier League right now

Leading the list is Everton club captain Seamus Coleman. Signed from Irish team Sligo Rovers for just €170k in 2008, the full-back has gone on to make 415 appearances for the Toffees and been at the club, uninterrupted by loans, for an impressive 13 years and nine months. In second place is another club captain. This time Crystal palace skipper Joel Ward, who has been with the Eagles for 11 years and eight months - the club were in the Championship when he signed from Portsmouth in 2012. Third place goes to a player that has been on the periphery of the first team for a while now in Newcastle’s Paul Dummett. The Welshmen has been at St James’ Park for 10 years and nine months, but hasn’t played more than five Premier League games in the last three seasons.

Stats

S. Coleman Right-Back

Everton FC

Career stats–
All competitions

Games

419

Goals

28

Assists

29

Next up are two loyal servants to Brighton. In fourth is winger Solly March who has been with the Seagulls for 10 years and eight months, and fifth is captain Lewis Dunk, who has been on the South-coast for 10 years and four months. Taking sixth spot is a player who set a record this season as the first footballer to play in the top five divisions of English football all with one club - Luton Town’s Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu, who has been with the Hatters for 10 years and 1 month. Adam Smith comes in at seventh with exactly the same length of time as Mpanzu, but with South Coast outfit Bournemouth. 

Eighth spot is taken up by the first player on the list to represent a traditional ‘Big six’ team in Manchester United’s Luke Shaw. The Englishmen has been with the Red Devils for nine years and eight months. In ninth is Sheffield United’s Chris Basham, who suffered a horror injury early this season, but has played for the Blades for nine years and eight months. Completing the top 10, is West Ham’s Aaron Cresswell, who has also been with the East London side for nine years and eight months. 

Stats

Luke Shaw Left-Back

Manchester United

Career stats–
All competitions

Games

275

Goals

4

Assists

28

The longest serving players for the traditional ‘Big six’ Premier League clubs

When it comes to the traditional 'Big six' clubs, they seem to chop and change more than most, in the pursuit of the top prizes. Shaw leads the way in this group, with Tottenham's Heung-Min Son and Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne also in the top five. Remarkably, no Arsenal or Chelsea player even features in the top 15 of this list alone, with Bukayo Saka Arsenal's longest uninterrupted servant of four years and 8 months and Chelsea's going to Reece James who has been with the Blues for the same period of time as Saka following his loan at Wigan in the 2018/19 season.