The Premier League has seen its fair share of footballing families, with sons following their fathers into the top flight. That list could soon grow after brothers Reigan and Jaden Heskey, sons of former England striker Emile Heskey, made their senior debuts for Manchester City in a 2–0 EFL Cup win over Huddersfield Town.
Emile made 516 Premier League appearances, the seventh-most in the competition's history, during a career that included spells at Leicester City, Liverpool, Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic and Aston Villa, as well as earning 62 caps for England.
Over 13 years since his final Premier League appearance, his sons are now making their own mark and may soon become the latest family to feature across generations in the League.
So far, 29 players have followed in their father’s footsteps by playing in the competition. The most recent additions include West Ham United's Freddie Potts, whose father, Steve, and brother, Dan, both represented the Hammers, and Leeds United's Gabriel Gudmundsson, son of former Blackburn Rovers forward Niklas Gudmundsson.
Father and sons to play in the PL
| Father | Apps | Son | Apps |
| Peter Schmeichel | 310 | Kasper Schmeichel | 284 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ian Wright | 213 | Bradley Wright-Phillips | 32 |
| Shaun Wright-Phillips | 316 | ||
| Paul Ince | 306 | Tom Ince | 48 |
| Steve Bruce | 148 | Alex Bruce | 48 |
| Bryan Gunn | 104 | Angus Gunn | 31 |
| Alan Cork | 46 | Jack Cork | 304 |
| Kevin Campbell | 325 | Tyrese Campbell | 4 |
| Rob Lee | 280 | Elliot Lee | 2 |
| Gus Poyet | 187 | Diego Poyet | 3 |
| David Hirst | 135 | George Hirst | 28 |
| Gordon Strachan | 96 | Gavin Strachan | 14 |
| Paul Furlong | 64 | Darnell Furlong | 38 |
| Steve Potts | 204 | Dan Potts | 2 |
| Freddie Potts | 1 | ||
| Alvin Martin | 45 | David Martin | 5 |
| Rory Delap | 359 | Liam Delap | 42 |
| Jimmy Phillips | 99 | Nat Phillips | 19 |
| Richard Cresswell | 67 | Charlie Cresswell | 5 |
| Jon Olav Hjelde | 17 | Leo Hjelde | 2 |
| Lee Clark | 185 | Bobby Clark | 6 |
| David Johnson | 14 | Brennan Johnson | 111 |
| Alf Inge Haaland | 181 | Erling Haaland | 102 |
| Patrick Kluivert | 25 | Justin Kluivert | 70 |
| Neil Danns | 5 | Jayden Danns | 3 |
| Claudio Reyna | 105 | Giovanni Reyna | 9 |
| Andy Gray | 51 | Archie Gray | 30 |
| Dean Gordon | 151 | Nathan Wood | 11 |
| Niklas Gudmundsson | 6 | Gabriel Gudmundsson | 5 |
Scroll across to see the full table
Who are the most notable?
Erling Haaland emulated his father Alf-Inge Haaland when he joined Man City, and he made an immediate impact by winning a historic Treble in an incredible 2022/23 debut season, following that achievement with a second successive Premier League title and Golden Boot award in 2023/24.
Alf-Inge made 181 appearances for Nottingham Forest, Leeds and Man City between 1994 and 2004.
Two stars of the inaugural 1992/93 Premier League season, Peter Schmeichel and Ian Wright, have seen their sons enjoy great success in the competition.
Kasper Schmeichel lifted the Premier League trophy with Leicester in 2015/16 and made 284 appearances in the competition, only 26 fewer than his father Peter, who was a five-time title-winner with Manchester United.
Wright, who scored 113 Premier League goals in 213 matches, has two sons who played in the top flight - Shaun Wright-Phillips and Bradley Wright-Phillips.
Shaun came through Man City's academy and made his Premier League debut for the club, before enjoying spells at Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers. Bradley also represented City, 32 times.
Of all the Premier League players' sons who have featured in the competition, Shaun has made the most appearances, with 316, followed by the 304 of Jack Cork.
Paul Ince and Steve Bruce were in the same Man Utd side with Peter Schmeichel that won the title in 1992/93. Their sons Tom Ince and Alex Bruce also played together, for Hull City in 2014/15, and have both made 48 Premier League appearances.
More to follow this season?
The list could grow further in 2025/26, with a number of players hoping to follow in their fathers' footsteps by making a Premier League debut.
Harry Gray, just 16, is one to watch after making his first-team debut for Leeds in the Championship last season and earning a Premier League 2 Player of the Month nomination for August.
He comes from a strong footballing family, his older brother Archie Gray debuted last season for Tottenham Hotspur, following their father Andy, who made 51 Premier League appearances for Leeds, Forest and Sunderland.
The family’s legacy extends further back, with Archie and Harry’s great uncle Eddie having managed Leeds in the Premier League, and their grandfather Frank a European Cup winner.
Alongside the Heskey brothers, the Gray family could soon add another chapter to the list of father-and-son duos in the Premier League.
Another potential addition is former Man Utd midfielder Darren Fletcher and his twin sons, Jack and Tyler.
Fletcher, a five-time Premier League winner with 341 appearances, saw his sons join the club’s academy from Man City in 2023.
Both are regulars for the Under-21s, with Jack featuring in the Premier League Summer Series US tour, while Tyler played twice on the post-season tour in Asia, suggesting both are firmly on the club’s radar for future first-team involvement.