The death of loyalty in football can be traced back to 15 January 2015.

It was the day that Fabian Delph signed a new four-and-a-half year contract with Aston Villa, spelling the end of speculation linking him with a move away from the club. 

"The fans have stuck by since day one. The chairman's stuck by me, he's been unbelievable with me. The gaffer's been great as well," said Delph. 

And then the quote that would come to define his eventual transfer to Manchester City: "I'm proving that there still is loyalty in football." 

By 17 July of the same year, Delph was pictured holding a City shirt on the club's social media channels just six days after publicly announcing his intention to stay at Villa Park. 

In an almost satirical turn of events, Delph's departure from Villa ironically underlined the glaring absence of loyalty in modern football.

Fabian Delph

With many super clubs possessing the ability to double wages and dangle the prospect of silverware in front of potential signings, the age-old adage that "no player is bigger than the club" is beginning to lose its gravitas. 

But in an era in which everyone is striving for meaning and a sense of belonging, there are still some bastions of hope remaining in the Premier League. 

By using data acquired from Transfermarkt, we've ranked all 20 Premier League clubs based on the loyalty of their players. 

Using the average number of days each player has spent at the club, the outfit that best embodies the spirit of Mark Noble has been revealed. 

Perched at the top of the list as the side with the most loyal players in England's top flight is Burnley. 

Having spent a 3532 days at Turf Moor, Ben Mee is the longest-serving player, but he's not the most loyal individual in the league.

Ben Mee

That title is, of course, reserved for Noble, who has been with the Hammers for 5235 days. 

Fulham's relentless wheeling and dealing has unsurprisingly left them in 20th place as the least loyal club in the division, while Arsenal aren't too far behind in 19th place.

For all their riches and extravagant spending, Manchester City sit in a respectable sixth place while Spurs' second place ranking adds weight to the prevalent feeling that they are well overdue a significant squad revamp. 

Take a look at the ranking below based on the average time every squad member has been at the club: 

20. Fulham (Average time at club - 560 days) - Longest serving player, Tom Cairney

19. Arsenal (634 days) - Longest serving player, Hector Bellerin

18. Wolverhampton Wanderers (676 days) - Longest serving player, Conor Coady

17. Brighton & Hove Albion (730 days) - Longest serving player, Solly March

16. West Bromwich Albion (750 days) - Longest serving player, Romain Sawyers

15. Aston Villa (804 days) - Longest serving player, Jack Grealish 

14. Everton (842 days) - Longest serving player, Seamus Coleman

13. Chelsea (851 days) - Longest serving player, Cesar Azpilicueta

12. Sheffield United (949 days) - Longest serving player, Chris Basham

11. Leeds United (969 days) - Longest serving player, Gaetano Berardi

10. Southampton (987 days) - Longest serving player, James Ward-Prowse

9. Liverpool (993 days) - Longest serving player, Jordan Henderson

8. West Ham United (1023 days) - Longest serving player, Mark Noble

7. Newcastle United (1175 days) - Longest serving player, Paul Dummett

6. Manchester City (1207 days) - Longest serving player, Sergio Aguero

5. Crystal Palace (1239 days) - Longest serving player, Joel Ward

4. Manchester United (1243 days) - Longest serving player, David De Gea

3. Leicester City (1263 days) - Longest serving player, Kasper Schmeichel

2. Tottenham Hotspur (1501 days) - Longest serving player, Danny Rose

1. Burnley (1551 days) - Longest serving player, Ben Mee