Teams with Longest Record in the Top Flight in England

Manchester City may be the top dogs in England right now but they still have a long way to go to match the achievements of these clubs in terms of top-flight tenancy.

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Arsenal and Everton have endured contrasting campaigns with the Gunners spending most of their time at the top of the Premier League, while the Toffees have been stuck in the lower reaches of the top flight.

But there is one table in which they have both been highly-placed so here we take a look at which teams have spent the most time in the English top flight.

Arsenal – 103 seasons

Arsenal may have been beaten to the top of the Premier League in 2023 but the Gunners boast a remarkable record in English football.

Following their promotion to the top division in English football for the 1919-20 season, the north London side have remained there ever since. A whopping 103 seasons and counting.

They have never been relegated since then and it is highly unlikely that they will be anytime soon. It’s a fantastic record and one which looks set to stretch even further.

Everton – 68 seasons

The Toffees have been flirting with danger for the past few seasons and they are not mathematically safe from the drop with just two fixtures remaining of the 2022-23 campaign.

Everton have long lived in the shadow of Merseyside neighbours, Liverpool, but they can boast a longer period spent in the English top flight than their illustrious rivals.

Promoted for the 1954-55 season, the Blues have remained in the top division ever since and will clock up 69 seasons in the country’s leading competition should they avoid the drop in the next seven days.

Liverpool – 60 seasons

The Reds aren’t used to being in Everton’s shadow but they are well adrift of the Toffees for time spent in the top flight.

England’s most successful club have taken advantage of their time in the top division, though, being crowned English champions on 14 occasions since their promotion from the second division in the next in the 1962-63 season.

As one of the leading sides in the competition, Liverpool don’t look like going down anytime soon and they can extend their impressive record for many years to come.

Manchester United – 47

England’s second most successful have also made the most of their tenure in the English first division, or Premier League as it is now known.

United hit the big time in the 1975-76 season after a six-year spell in the second tier and never looked back.

They have won the English title a record 20 times but waited a whopping 26 years between 1967 and 1993 to be crowned champions. It is unlikely they will have to wait that long again and it is hard to see them leaving the top flight ever again.

Tottenham Hotspur – 44 seasons

Spurs were promoted to the leading division in England after the 1978-79 campaign and they have remained there ever since.

The Lilywhites have been one of the stronger members in the top flight and their position has rarely been threatened despite their infamous lack of success.

It’s 44 seasons and counting for Tottenham and that is a record not to be sniffed at.

They are way behind north London rivals Arsenal but their impressive sequence is only likely to go on and on, barring an unlikely collapse.

Rob has around 20 years journalism experience and has written and commentated on the likes of football, cricket and rugby. He also has an impressive background in racquet sports and regularly provides content on the likes of tennis and badminton.
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