The Premier League rarely leaves room for sentiment. It moves too fast for that. Managers arrive with new ideas and leave with cardboard boxes. Sporting directors redraw the squad every summer. Players are judged not on what they did, but on what they can still give.
Staying relevant inside that environment for more than a few seasons is difficult enough. Doing it for a decade or longer borders on defiance.
Often, a player refuses to be swept away by the current.
They survive tactical revolutions. They outlast rebuilds. They remain useful when the club around them changes shape entirely. Some grow into leaders. Some simply keep delivering seven out of ten performances that managers trust.
Over time, they become part of the club’s identity, familiar faces in a league that is often obsessed with the new.
This is not a list built on nostalgia alone. These players are still active. Still involved. Still part of the Premier League story in 2026. Their longevity says as much about adaptability and durability as it does about talent.
All information is correct at the time of writing. The Premier League is currently in an active January transfer window, and players listed here could still move clubs.
- 19. Tyrick Mitchell – Crystal Palace (5 years)
- 18. Jarrod Bowen – West Ham United (5 years)
- 17. Toti – Wolves (5 years)
- 16. Bukayo Saka – Arsenal (6 years)
- 15. Reece James – Chelsea (6 years)
- 14. Pascal Struijk – Leeds United (6 years)
- 13. Luke O’Nien – Sunderland (7 years)
- 12. John McGinn – Aston Villa (7 years)
- 11. John Stones – Manchester City (9 years)
- 10. Ryan Yates – Nottingham Forest (9 years)
- 9. Rico Henry – Brentford (9 years)
- 8. Joe Gomez – Liverpool (10 years)
- 7. Tom Cairney – Fulham (10 years)
- 6. Ben Davies – Tottenham Hotspur (10 years)
- 5. Luke Shaw – Manchester United (11 years)
- 4. Jamal Lascelles – Newcastle United (11 years)
- 3. Adam Smith – Bournemouth (12 years)
- 2. Lewis Dunk – Brighton & Hove Albion (15 years)
- 1. Seamus Coleman – Everton (17 years)
19. Tyrick Mitchell – Crystal Palace (5 years)
Debut: June 2020
It is still surprising how Mitchell has not become a regular in the England setup by now. He’s not the type of full-back who demands the back pages with flashy step-overs or thirty-yard screamers, but he’s the definition of a safe pair.
Palace picked him up in 2016 after Brentford’s academy doors were bolted shut, and he’s essentially made the left-back spot his own ever since.
He was there for the FA Cup glory last year, a consistent presence in a team that often thrives on chaos.
At 26, he feels like he’s been around forever, still his best years are likely still ahead of him. He represents the kind of player who does the simple things well, who rarely makes headlines and never lets his team down.
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18. Jarrod Bowen – West Ham United (5 years)
Debut: February 2020
With Aaron Cresswell moving on last summer, the mantle of longest-serving Hammer fell to Jarrod Bowen. He arrived from Hull City back in 2020 and immediately looked like he belonged at a higher level.
He’s the man who gave West Ham fans that immortal night in Prague, scoring the winner to lift the Europa Conference League trophy in 2023.
Wth the way the current season is unfolding, there’s a heavy feeling around the London Stadium that this might be the final chapter.
He ha has carried the goal-scoring burden for so long that you couldn’t blame him for looking at a new horizon. If he does leave this January or in the summer, he goes as a modern legend, a player who delivered when it mattered most.
17. Toti – Wolves (5 years)
Debut: January 2022
Toti has clocked over 100 appearances in the gold and black; his five-year stint has hit a somber note lately. Wolves are staring down the barrel of relegation, and the mood at Molineux is heavy.
Toti has been a steady servant, often playing through various tactical shifts and defensive crises. At this stage, he’s a man caught in a storm.
Regardless of the situation, even if he stays to help fight in the Championship or finds a lifeline elsewhere in the summer, remains to be seen.
His half-decade in the West Midlands has been more about grit than glamour, about showing up and doing the job even when results haven’t gone the way anyone hoped.
16. Bukayo Saka – Arsenal (6 years)
Debut: November 2018
Saka is the heartbeat of Arsenal. It feels strange to think he’s only 24 because he’s already lived through an entire era of the club’s history. He was the bright spot during the bleak years when Arsenal were finishing eighth and looked lost.
He’s been the driving force behind their rise back to the top of English football.
He has captained the side on numerous occasions, shouldered the pressure of representing England at major tournaments, and remained the first name on the team sheet regardless of who’s managing.
He hasn’t got his hands on the Premier League trophy yet, but it feels inevitable at this point. You get the sense that as long as Saka is on that right wing, Arsenal are going to be just fine.
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15. Reece James – Chelsea (6 years)
Debut: September 2019
If football were played on paper, Reece James would be the best right-back on the planet.
He’s Chelsea through and through, a captain who leads with immense physical power and technical grace. The tragedy has been the injuries. Everyone is still waiting for that one elusive, fully healthy season where he can just run riot and show what he’s truly capable of over 38 matches.
When James is fit, he changes the way Chelsea plays.
His ability to bomb forward and deliver crosses, combined with his defensive solidity, makes him almost irreplaceable. When he’s not fit, the hole he leaves is cavernous.
With a World Cup on the horizon, the hope is that his body finally holds up and we get to see the player everyone knows he can be.
14. Pascal Struijk – Leeds United (6 years)
Debut: December 2019
Pascal Struijk is one of those players who sneaks up on you. He joined from Ajax back in 2018 and has quietly racked up nearly 200 appearances for Leeds.
He’s seen the drop to the Championship and the jubilant return to the top flight. Now he’s the veteran presence in a backline, trying to keep Leeds away from the relegation zone.
Struijk is elegant on the ball and tough in the air, the kind of player every newly promoted side needs to survive the grind of a Premier League season.
He doesn’t get the headlines that other players might, but his importance to Leeds cannot be overstated. He’s the calm head when things get frantic, the player who can step out from the back and start attacks with a well-placed pass.
13. Luke O’Nien – Sunderland (7 years)
Debut: August 2018
Every team needs a Luke O’Nien.
He’s the guy who will play in four different positions in a single match and probably try to wind up the opposition striker while he’s at it. He was there for the dark days of League One, the back-to-back relegations that sent Sunderland spiraling down the divisions, and the long, difficult climb back up.
Seeing him lead Sunderland back into the Premier League was one of those rare, feel-good moments that remind you why the sport matters.
He plays with a raw passion that fans at the Stadium of Light recognize as their own. He’s not the most technically gifted player on the pitch, but he more than makes up for it with heart and determination. Sunderland fans adore him for it.
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12. John McGinn – Aston Villa (7 years)
Debut: August 2018
McGinn is a throwback to a different era of midfielders. He’s a brawling, spinning, goal-scoring presence who has become the soul of Aston Villa.
Since taking the captaincy in 2022, he’s overseen a transformation that has seen Villa go from mid-table fodder to genuine European contenders.
He still has that knack for a thirty-yard screamer at least once a season, the kind of goal that gets replayed endlessly and reminds everyone why he’s so beloved.
His work rate remains one of the most underrated assets in the league. He’s the engine that never quits, the player who sets the tone for how Villa approach every match. As long as he’s in the midfield, Villa will keep climbing.
11. John Stones – Manchester City (9 years)
Debut: August 2016
Stones arrived from Everton as the ball-playing center-back of the future, and under Pep Guardiola, he became the blueprint for what a modern defender should be.
He’s won every trophy available at City, often redefining what it means to be a center-back by stepping into midfield and dictating the tempo of matches from deep positions.
Like others on this list, fitness has been his biggest enemy. When he’s available and sharp, he’s one of the best defenders in world football.
When he’s not, City feels his absence. His importance to their trophy haul over the last nine years cannot be overstated. With the 2026 World Cup approaching, getting Stones back to his best is a priority for both club and country. He remains central to everything City want to achieve.
10. Ryan Yates – Nottingham Forest (9 years)
Debut: August 2016
A Forest man to his core. He spent the early years of his career on loan at clubs like Shrewsbury and Scunthorpe, learning his trade in the lower leagues before finally getting his chance in the first team.
Once he got that chance, he never looked back. He’s racked up over 200 appearances now and was instrumental in the 2022 promotion that brought Forest back to the Premier League after 23 years away.
Yates has adapted to the top flight with a minimum of fuss.
He’s not the flashiest player at the City Ground, but he’s the most reliable. He wins headers, covers ground, and provides the kind of energy in midfield that allows the more creative players around him to flourish.
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9. Rico Henry – Brentford (9 years)
Debut: September 2016
It has been a rough road for Henry lately. He was once the standout left-back in the Championship, the kind of player who looked destined for bigger things, and he transitioned seamlessly to the Premier League when Brentford finally made the jump.
Then the injuries came, robbing him of over a year of football and threatening to derail everything he’d built.
Brentford have stayed loyal, though, and for good reason.
His pace and defensive intelligence are top-tier when he’s healthy, and his understanding of what the club is trying to do tactically makes him irreplaceable. Seeing him back on the pitch this season has been one of the highlights for the Bees.
8. Joe Gomez – Liverpool (10 years)
Debut: August 2015
Reaching the ten-year milestone at Anfield feels unlikely given the amount of time he’s spent on the treatment table over the years. The injuries have been brutal and often robbed him of momentum just when it seemed like he was about to establish himself as a regular starter.
He’s won everything there is to win at Liverpool: the Premier League, the Champions League, and domestic cups.
Gomez can play anywhere across the back four and never complains about his role. He’s the ultimate squad player, the kind of versatile defender that every top team needs but often takes for granted.
Liverpool have struggled for rhythm recently, and missing a player of his quality and experience has certainly hurt them. When he’s fit, he reminds everyone why the club has held onto him for so long.
7. Tom Cairney – Fulham (10 years)
Debut: August 2015
He still looks like the same player who walked into Craven Cottage a decade ago.
He’s been the heartbeat of Fulham through multiple promotions and relegations, always providing that bit of composure and quality in the middle of the park that separates good Championship sides from Premier League ones.
Even at 35, his left foot remains a genuine weapon. He can still pick out passes that other players don’t even see, still control the tempo of a game when Fulham need to slow things down.
He’s become part of the furniture in West London, a symbol of continuity in a club that has yo-yoed between divisions more than most. It’s hard to imagine a Fulham midfield without his calm presence dictating things.
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6. Ben Davies – Tottenham Hotspur (10 years)
Debut: August 2014
The ultimate professional, the kind of player every manager loves to have in their squad. He does exactly what is asked of him, whether that’s filling in at center-back, bombing down the left wing, or sitting deep to provide cover.
His playing time has fluctuated over the years depending on who’s in charge and what system they’re running, but his value has never diminished.
He has become a cult hero at Spurs, the reliable presence who never complains about his role and always delivers when called upon.
Under the current management, Tottenham is going through another transitional period, and having a veteran like Davies around provides stability. He’s seen it all at the club, survived multiple managerial changes, and remains a vital part of the squad even when he’s not starting every week.
5. Luke Shaw – Manchester United (11 years)
Debut: September 2014
His career has been a series of immense highs and devastating lows. There was the horrific leg fracture against PSV Eindhoven in 2015 that threatened to derail everything.
There was the goal in the Euro 2020 final, a moment of pure ecstasy that ended in heartbreak.
There have been manager after manager, each with different ideas about how to use him, each with different levels of patience for his injury struggles.
When Shaw is fit and firing, there are few better left-backs in Europe.
He combines pace, power, and technical quality in a way that makes him almost impossible to play against. The problem has always been keeping him on the pitch. Eleven years at Old Trafford is a massive achievement given everything he’s been through, and he remains a player who can change a game when his body allows him to play with freedom.
4. Jamal Lascelles – Newcastle United (11 years)
Debut: August 2015
Might not be the first name on the team sheet anymore in this new, wealthy era of Newcastle United, but he remains the club captain.
He’s the bridge between the old Newcastle and the new one, the player who was there during the Mike Ashley years when the club felt like it was treading water, and who’s still there now that the Saudi investment has transformed everything.
At 32, Lascelles provides the kind of cultural glue that money cannot buy.
He knows what it means to play for Newcastle, knows the weight of expectation that comes with wearing that black and white shirt.
The younger, flashier signings might grab the headlines, but Lascelles is the one who keeps the dressing room grounded. He’s seen the club at its lowest and its highest, and that kind of perspective is invaluable.
3. Adam Smith – Bournemouth (12 years)
Debut: January 2014
He is just weeks away from his twelve-year stay with the Cherries, a journey that has taken him from the Championship all the way through multiple promotions, relegations, and the eventual establishment of Bournemouth as a Premier League fixture.
At 34, he’s still holding off younger challengers for that right-back spot, still putting in the kind of shift that reminds you why managers trust experience.
Smith understands Bournemouth better than anyone. He knows what it takes to survive in this league as a smaller club, knows when to dig in and when to push forward.
He’s a leader in the dressing room and on the pitch, the kind of player who younger teammates look to when things get difficult.
When he eventually calls it a day, you suspect he’ll transition straight onto the coaching staff. He’s too valuable to lose completely.
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2. Lewis Dunk – Brighton & Hove Albion (15 years)
Debut: April 2010
Fifteen years at one club in the modern game feels like a statistical anomaly.
Lewis Dunk has gone from playing in League One with Brighton all the way to captaining them in European competition. He was there when the Amex Stadium was still being built, when the club was clawing its way out of the lower divisions, and when they finally made it to the promised land of the Premier League in 2017.
He is a mountain in the air and surprisingly elegant on the ball for a center-back of his size.
He represents everything that Brighton has become under their current ownership: smart, progressive, and fiercely loyal to those who helped build the foundations.
Other clubs have come calling over the years, offering bigger wages and the chance to compete for trophies, but Dunk stayed.
He’s a one-club man in the truest sense, and Brighton fans recognize that. They wouldn’t trade him for anyone, I guess.
1. Seamus Coleman – Everton (17 years)
Debut: October 2009
Signed for a reported £70,000 from Sligo Rovers back in 2009, he has given his entire professional life to Everton. That figure alone feels absurd now, a reminder of a different era when scouts still took punts on raw Irish full-backs playing in front of a few hundred people on a wet Tuesday night.
Coleman has seen it all at Goodison Park. He was there for the Roberto Martinez years, the brief flirtation with European football, and the subsequent decline into mid-table mediocrity and worse.
He captained the team through relegation scares and boardroom upheaval. He broke his leg in a horrific collision on international duty and came back to reclaim his spot.
There’s a beautiful symmetry to the fact that David Moyes, the man who brought him to England all those years ago, is back in the dugout managing him in 2026. Coleman is Everton in human form. He embodies the passion, the frustration, and the stubborn resilience that define the club.
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