7 players we can't believe are still at a Premier League club in 2022-23

The Premier League might be the world’s most-watched and richest domestic competition, but that doesn’t mean all the players in it have the profile of Cristiano Ronaldo or Erling Haaland.

There are a number of players who are just sort of there. They’re really good at football, clearly. You never get to play a Premier League game without having something about you. But at this moment in time, they are mostly making up the numbers when it comes to top-flight football.

Here, we’ve rounded up eight players who we had forgotten still played for Premier League clubs.

Scott Carson

You got a reminder of Scott Carson towards the end of last season. In a rare fit of sentimentality, Pep Guardiola unleashed him for the last 20 minutes of a Champions League game against Sporting.

That was because he was about to leave the club after three seasons as the reserve goalkeeper’s hype man, right? Pep wanted to give him a few minutes on the pitch as a thank you, didn’t he?

Err, no, actually. Carson’s still there, aged 36, looking increasingly like the haggard, alcoholic detective in a Scandi noir TV series.

Paul Dummett

The writer of this article has a massive soft spot for Paul Dummett. You’ll go a long way before you find a more committed player.

To be honest, though, even I’d forgotten that he’s still at Newcastle, going into his 10th season as a senior pro at the club.

He made two starts last season, so that probably explains that.

Given the influx of oil money at St James’, it’s difficult to envision many more starts for Dummett this season. Still, over 200 appearances in black and white are not to be sniffed at.

Joel Robles

Nothing gives you flashbacks to Roberto Martinez-era Everton like a sighting of Joel Robles. And a sighting we may well get this season. He’s back in England with Leeds.

Yeah, we were surprised about that one too.

Kenedy

One of Chelsea’s loan army for what seems like an eternity, Kenedy is still at the Bridge and still, nominally at least, a part of the first-team squad.

He was recalled from a loan at Flamengo in January 2022 after they failed to sign a wing-back to provide cover for the injured Ben Chilwell and Reece James.

He played once, too, getting an hour in the final game of the season against Watford when everyone had lost interest.

And now 26, he’s still there, on the fringes of Chelsea’s squad, probably wishing he could get a permanent move to a club where he’d play every week.

READ: The £172.9million six-a-side team Chelsea are currently trying to sell

Baba Rahman

Oh, and speaking of Chelsea’s loan army, here’s Baba Rahman. You remember him. Signed as a replacement for Filipe Luis when he went back to Atletico. Played 15 Premier League games in 2015-16 before Guus Hiddink unceremoniously shafted him.

Yep. Well, since then he’s been on loan to five clubs, most recently spending a season at Reading. Now he’s back in the same sort of footballing purgatory as Kenedy, waiting for someone to come and free him.

Theo Walcott

Bit harsh? Maybe.

But this is a player who made his Premier League debut in 2006, in long-lost times when indie pop was all the rage and people’s standards of living had been actually been rising consistently for over a decade. Heady days.

And there he is, still going. Or sort of going. He only made five Premier League starts for Southampton last season, which is why we reckon he qualifies for this list.

READ: How the football Gods conspired to deny Walcott hero status at Arsenal

Andy Lonergan

After a long and pretty distinguished career as a Football League first-choice, Lonergan embarked on a second career as a Premier League reserve (of the reserve… of the reserve) goalkeeper.

He spent a season with Liverpool during their title-winning campaign and then a spell with West Brom before joining Everton in 2021. And he’s still there, behind Jordan Pickford and Asmir Begovic – who, let’s be honest, could have made this list in his own right – in the pecking order.