The three longest-serving players for every PL club

Daniel Storey

Arsenal

Current longest-serving player
Theo Walcott, who made his Arsenal first-team debut way back in August 2006. Talk of him leaving has gone quiet, because Arsene Wenger can’t get enough of that sugary loyalty to players who just aren’t quite good enough.

And who’s next?
It’ll be a bloody shame if Kieran Gibbs leaves Arsenal this summer, because we just can’t wait for the reaction when he becomes eligible for a testimonial on October 31, 2017. He still hasn’t reached 10,000 career league minutes.

Aaron Ramsey is third.

 

Bournemouth

Current longest-serving player
Marc Pugh, Barney McGrew. But mainly just Marc Pugh. Bought for £100,000 in League One in 2010, and still played 21 Premier League games last season. It’s a fair effort.

And who’s next?
Bournemouth captain Simon Francis says that Harry Arter gets plenty of stick for being bought for £4,000 from non-league Woking, but it shows his incredible rise through the divisions with Bournemouth. He’s recently signed a new four-year deal.

Francis is third.

 

Brighton

Current longest-serving player
Lewis ‘Dunkers’ Dunk, who signed his first professional contract with Brighton in April 2010 when they were a League One club, playing at the Withdean Stadium and managed by Gus Poyet. Plenty has changed since.

And who’s next?
Solly March didn’t make his first-team debut until the beginning of 2013/14, but is included given that he signed his first professional contract in November 2011 following a scholarship. Still just 22, March will be hoping to break into the team at the hardest possible time.

Kazenga Lua Lua is third.

 

Burnley

Current longest-serving player
Dean Marney is still a Premier League player, folks, and there’s eff all you can do about it. Surprisingly played 1,770 league minutes last season, which is more than in either of the last two. Is he Benjamin Button?

And who’s next?
Ben Mee, shape me, any way you want me. Long as you love Mee, it’s all right. And Burnley do love him.

Sam Vokes is third.

 

Chelsea

Current longest-serving player
Goodbye John Terry. Though I never knew you at all. You had the grace to hold yourself. While those around you crawled. England’s lion has left Stamford Bridge, leaving Matej Delac as the longest-serving ‘first-team’ player. He’s never played a game for them.

And who’s next?
It’s Tomas Kalas, obviously. He has at least made two league appearances for Chelsea.

Erm Eden Hazard is third, proof enough that time is a shifting, fluid concept, catching you off guard. As is Chelsea’s transfer policy.

 

Crystal Palace

Current longest-serving player
It is a deeply wonderful thing that Julian Speroni is now the longest-serving player in the Premier League, having signed another new one-year deal in May. Will he play? No. Is he a club legend? Yes. Should more clubs use their vast wealth to keep cult heroes on their books until they are 63 years old? God yes.

And who’s next?
Jonny bloody Williams, he of the constant loan spells and lack of Premier League start since May 2013 who somehow still played in a European Championship semi-final.

Joel Ward is third. Course he is.

 

Everton

Current longest-serving player
Goalscorer extraordinaire Phil Jagielka has been with Everton since July 2007, and has but a solitary FA Cup runners-up medal to show for it.

And who’s next?
Assist-provider extraordinaire Leighton Baines has been with Everton since August 2007, and has but a solitary FA Cup runners-up medal to show for it.

Seamus Coleman is third.

 

Huddersfield Town

Current longest-serving player
In a squad that has seen a massive turnover of players in the last 18 months alone, Sean Scannell wins out. He joined from Crystal Palace in July 2012 and is unlikely to play much this season.

And who’s next?
Club captain Tommy Smith, who joined three months later than Scannell from Manchester City’s academy. 

Jonathan Hogg is third, who joined less than four years ago. As we said, high squad turnover.

 

Leicester

Current longest-serving player
Andy King , who is four years ahead of his nearest rival at Leicester. When he was relegated to League One in his first full season at the club, King probably didn’t expect to win the Premier League title.

And who’s next?
Kasper Schmeichel. The Dane moved from Leeds to join Sven-Goran Eriksson’s King Power revolution in June 2011.

Danny Drinkwater is third. So there.

 

Liverpool

Current longest-serving player
Jon Flanagan signed his first professional deal in January 2011, and we’re still waiting for him to really kick on after injury. The whole ‘Flani Alves’ thing has died down, as has Cafu’s bizarre public admiration for the defender. And now he’s Liverpool’s longest-serving player, after Lucas decided to bugger up my list hours after it was written.

And who’s next?
Jordan Henderson had the captaincy bestowed upon him by Steven Gerrard, so is no stranger to replacing club legends if required. He can do the same when Flanagan leaves.

Third is Danny Ward. Odd eh.

Manchester City

Current longest-serving player
The last vestige of Manchester City’s ignominious past, Joe Hart made his first-team debut in October 2006 as a replacement for the unavailable pairing of Andreas Isaksson and Nicky Weaver. Both are still better than Claudio Bravo, even if Hart is now being loaned out for the second season in succession.

And who’s next?
Give Mark Hughes a lot of money, and he will sign Jo for £19million. Tighten the purse strings a little, and you might just get a club legend in Vincent Kompany. The Belgian joined City on August 22, 2008.

Pablo Zabaleta has left, leaving Yaya Toure in third.

Manchester United

Current longest-serving player
Wayne Rooney has left for pastures new and pastures blue, leaving Michael Carrick comfortably holding the title of United’s longest-serving. And he’s got a shiny new contract to show for it.

And who’s next? Antonio Valencia, who has matured from useful winger to ever-reliable right-back. Why wouldn’t Jose Mourinho want him to stick around?

Chris Smalling is third, which makes us think more weird things about time.

 

Newcastle United

Current longest-serving player
Timmy, Timmy Kruuuul. He may have been loaned out last season, is pretty much unwanted by the club now and third choice as things stand, but Krul is easily Newcastle’s longest-serving player.

And who’s next?
It’s Paul Dummett, who has endured plenty of stick from inside and outside Newcastle but keeps sticking around. No Newcastle player started more league games last season.

Rob Elliot is next. Not Robbie Elliott.

 

Southampton

Current longest-serving player
He might be only 22 years of age, but James Ward-Prowse is Southampton’s longest-serving player. He was eight when he joined the club’s academy, and made his first-team debut in October 2011.

And who’s next?
It was Jay Rodriguez, but he’s headed off to West Brom to be turned into a central defender. Captain Steven Davis steps up into second place, leaving Paulo Gazzaniga in third. I know, Paulo Gazzaniga is still at Southampton!

 

Stoke

Current longest-serving player
It’s obviously Ryan Shawcross. A Stoke without Ryan Shawcross as their longest-serving player is not a Stoke I wish to contemplate.

And who’s next?
Shawcross joined as a Manchester United loanee in August 2007, with his move becoming permanent the following January. That same month, Glenn Whelan arrived for a bargain £500,000. Shame he might be off this summer.

Jon Walters was third, but he departed for Burnley and left a hole in all of our Stokie hearts. But now it’s Crouchie, and his impeccable Twitter game.

 

Swansea

Current longest-serving player
Thought it was Leon Britton, didn’t you? Jesus, how embarrassing. All your friends are pointing and laughing at you; your family have disowned you. It’s Angel Rangel, pal.

And who’s next?
Rangel joined League One Swansea in summer 2007, staying in Wales all the way with their journey to the Premier League, and perhaps all the way back down. It might surprise you to learn that Britton isn’t even second, with Nathan Dyer, whose greatest achievement for Swansea is winning the Premier League as a Leicester loanee, joining in January 2009.

Britton is third, so you can chill out with your bleating about him now. You forgot his season at Sheffield United, and that’s to your eternal shame.

 

Tottenham

Current longest-serving player
Danny Rose failed to impress on loan at either Peterborough or Bristol City, but has developed into one of Europe’s finest full-backs at Tottenham, who he joined in July 2007. Second place has changed recently, mind.

And who’s next?
Oh Kyle, you f*cked it up for everybody. Up steps Harry Kane into second. Shame he’s a four-season wonder. Or five, or whatever we’re up to now.

Jan Vertonghen is next. It feels an awfully long time ago that we thought he’d leave for a bigger club.

Watford

Current longest-serving player
It’s Troy Deeney, and by quite a margin. Watford were a middling Championship club when they signed their current captain in August 2010. Now they’re a middling Premier League club. That’s better.

And who’s next?
It’s big Tommie Hoban, who I don’t think I’d recognise if he walked past me in the street wearing an ‘I’m Tommie Hoban and I play for Watford FC’ badge.

Heurelho Gomes is third.

 

West Brom

Current longest-serving player
James Morrison gives West Brom something, and when he leaves those at The Hawthorns will rue the fact that the pieces don’t fit anymore. For it is a wonderful world when Morrison is the longest-serving player at the club. Errrrr, broken strings?

And who’s next?
Morrison joined West Brom on August 7, 2007; Chris Brunt joined him just eight days later, and they have been best friends ever since. Apart from that unspeakable incident in the hotel toilet. Allegedly.

Boaz Myhill is third.

 

West Ham

Current longest-serving player
It’s Mark Noble, a man who seems to have been at West Ham ever since Bobby Moore left. West Ham fans don’t tout him for an England call-up anymore, do they?

And who’s next?
It’s Winston Reid, who certainly makes my all-time underrated Premier League XI. Which probably means he’s been crap for three years.

Sexy James Collins is third.

 

Daniel Storey