These 20 stalwarts deserve due recognition for sticking around through thick and thin, showing a trait that is increasingly becoming a rare commodity in football these days. Loyalty.
AFC Bournemouth – Adam Smith
The Cherries defender headed to the South Coast in 2014 having previously spent a season-long loan there some years earlier.
Loan spell included, Smith has played in three different divisions for the club and still only 31 there are plenty more adventures to be had by the former England Under 21 international.
Arsenal – Granit Xhaka
It’s fair to say the Swiss midfielder’s time at the Emirates has been chequered, arriving in 2016 to some acclaim before establishing himself as a player of extremes.
On his day, he could be a game-changer but elsewhere, a propensity to see red – both literally and figuratively – cost his side too often.
Frustrated at this, the fans turned, leading to their club captain sarcastically applauding when substituted in 2019. His Arsenal career appeared to be doomed.
To the surprise of many however, a comeback has subsequently occurred, the player pivotal and loved again, and with the Gunners favourites in the Premier League odds outright market a legend’s legacy is now all-but-secured.
Aston Villa – Jed Steer
The 30-year-old goalkeeper has been loaned out more times than an Agatha Christie novel at a provincial library but on the rare occasions Villa have turned to their reliable back-up he hasn’t let them down.
Highly rated as a teen, Steer has carved out a decent career, even if it has amounted to short stints up and down the footballing pyramid.
Brentford – Rico Henry
Honing in on 200 appearances for the Bees, in many ways Henry’s rise mirrors that of his club, first considered an excellent Championship proposition before confounding all expectations and excelling among the elite.
At 25 years of age there is still time for the left-back to break into the England set-up and a cap feels overdue given his outstanding performances at the Gtech Community Stadium these past couple of seasons.
Brighton – Lewis Dunk
Is there a single Under-rated XI article online – or one that highlights the best players beyond the ‘top six’ - that doesn’t have Dunk bolstering its defence?
Brighton-born and a proud Seagull since the age of 11, the centre-back’s blend of non-nonsense tackling and expert reading of danger saw him capped at international level in 2018.
In doing so, he became only the fourth Brighton player to represent England.
Chelsea – Cesar Azpilicueta
‘Dave’ arrived in West London in 2012 and has been a consistent, versatile and high-achieving star for the Blues ever since, making his 500th appearance for the club earlier this year.
Long-installed as captain, perhaps his biggest compliment from a queue of admirers came from former boss Jose Mourinho who claimed a team made up of 11 Azpilicuetas would win the Champions League.
Crystal Palace – Joel Ward
An ever-present at Selhurst Park for well over a decade, the defender-slash-midfielder-slash-play-anywhere Ward has seen it all at Palace, experiencing play-off successes, cup final defeats, not to mention several flirtations with relegation.
He rarely makes the headlines but the Holmesdale Fanatics know his real worth with a long and dedicated service that is priceless.
Everton – Seamus Coleman
For 14 consecutive seasons, the right-back from Killybegs, Ireland has quietly gone about his business, being routinely superb for the Toffees.
Purchased for just £60,000 it’s hard to find a better value-for-money signing in Premier League history.
Coleman’s career high-point came in 2013/14, a stellar campaign that saw awarded Everton’s Player of the Year and be included in the PFA Team of the Year.
Fulham – Tom Cairney
To the bemusement of Fulham fans, the Scottish midfielder remains an under-appreciated talent beyond Craven Cottage but at least there, on the banks of the Thames, they know what a diamond they possess.
Their sometime-captain, scorer of spectacular goals, and the player who struck the winner that ensured Fulham went up via the play-offs in 2018, Cairney has been treasured in that part of the world since arriving in 2015.
Leeds – Liam Cooper
Sculpted from hard minerals, Cooper’s leadership at the back has forever gained him a place in Leeds folklore so it surprises to learn that initially he struggled at Elland Road, picking up the disparaging nickname of ‘League One Liam’.
Several years on, their captain fantastic is truly loved, becoming a symbol of the heart and fight that propels the club through all weathers.
Leicester – Jamie Vardy
We are all aware of the Jamie Vardy story, an astonishing journey that takes in Stocksbridge Park Steels and superstardom.
Now we can add longevity to the party, the constant fixture in the Premier League top scorer odds one of only three players still at the King Power who made a ridiculous fairy tale a reality back in 2016.
Liverpool – Jordan Henderson
Signed for a little under £20m way back in 2011, Henderson took a while to make any meaningful impact at Anfield and just as he was, the midfielder was then tasked with filling the vast void left by Steven Gerrard.
Leading the Reds to Champions League glory and their first ever Premier League title, it can safely be said that the boy done well.
Manchester City – Kevin De Bruyne
The midfield magician was damned as an expensive folly on joining City in 2015, with esteemed and educated pundits ignoring his brilliance in the Bundesliga and focusing only on his unsuccessful spell at Stamford Bridge.
His fantastical football since, elevating the Belgian to a plateau rarely before seen in the Premier League, brings to mind a famous assessment of Fred Astaire. Can’t act, can’t sing, can dance a little. Where are those pundits now?
Manchester United – David De Gea and Phil Jones
On June 29th 2011, the then league champions announced two new signings. One was hugely hyped, compared prematurely to the great Duncan Edwards. An incoming keeper meanwhile was tipped for success but still had it all to prove.
The latter has gone to make over 400 appearances for the Red Devils, winning the club’s Player of the Year merit on four occasions. The other is Phil Jones.
Newcastle – Paul Dummett
The Welsh international has made 119 outings for the Magpies since coming through the ranks and making his first-team debut in 2013.
Rarely heralded to the point of near-anonymity outside of the North-East it can truthfully be stated that every club needs a Paul Dummett. They are the constants in a storm.
Nottingham Forest – Joe Worrall
Amidst an awful lot of coming and going at the City Ground, the centre-back’s first team place and future with the Tricky Trees was never in doubt.
Given the captaincy at the start of their return to the top-flight, local lad Worrall is swiftly gaining a reputation as a defender of genuine note. An England call-up is surely not far away.
Southampton – James Ward-Prowse
The Saints’ set-piece maestro is currently on 333 appearances, notching an impressive 46 into the bargain. No player has adorned the red and white more in the top-flight.
Born and raised just down the coast in Portsmouth, Ward-Prowse’s calm, efficient midfielding has been an invaluable asset in a series of relegation dog-fights these past few years.
Tottenham – Harry Kane
Gooners may enjoy posting ‘that’ photo of Kane wearing an Arsenal shirt as a kid, but the arch-poacher has now made 310 Premier League appearances for Tottenham, becoming their all-time leading goal-scorer in the process.
Growing up a Spurs fan, just 15 minutes from White Hart Lane and a prodigy of the club’s academy he is, of course, one of their own. Photographs it seems, do lie after all.
West Ham – Aaron Cresswell
Signing from Ipswich in 2014, Cresswell enjoyed a successful opening chapter to his West Ham story, claiming the Player of the Year award in his first season. The left-back has been a much-valued presence ever since.
To put his long service into perspective, his team-mates on arriving in East London included Kevin Nolan and Stewart Downing.
Wolves – Ruben Neves
The Portuguese international is a real fan-favourite at Molineux, adored for his tenacity and guile in the middle of the park. A long-standing habit for scoring long-range screamers helps too.
Neves came to England in 2017 saddled with enormous hype. He has lived up to it and more.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
