Arsenal once became the first English club to name an entire Premier League matchday squad without an English player. More than two decades later, Mikel Arteta has taken the club in almost the opposite direction.
Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke and Ezri Konsa all represented England at this summer’s World Cup.
Add Ben White, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Arsenal’s growing group of Hale End prospects, and an English core has become increasingly central to Arteta’s squad.
It has not happened by accident.
The last time Arsenal defended the title, they upset a lot of people by naming an entire squad without an English player. These days, the situation is totally different. This is #AFC’s most English squad for 25 years. Here’s how and why they’ve done it: https://t.co/5imspZU5FO
— Sam Dean (@SamJDean) August 31, 2026
Arsenal have spent more than £300m building English core
The Telegraph reports that Arsenal’s combined investment in Konsa, Eze, Madueke, Rice and White exceeds £300million.
That represents a remarkable change from 2005, when Arsène Wenger named the first Premier League squad without a single English player.
There is an obvious practical advantage.
Premier League clubs can register no more than 17 players who do not qualify as homegrown, making established English talent particularly valuable when assembling a squad capable of fighting across four competitions.
But Arteta’s thinking goes further.
The report says Arsenal place significant value on players who already understand Premier League football, reducing some of the adaptation risk associated with expensive overseas signings.
Rice is perhaps the clearest example.
His status as an established England international who understood the league was reportedly one factor Arsenal considered when deciding whether to break their transfer record for him.
Konsa fits the same profile.
He arrived as an experienced Premier League defender and could now make his Arsenal debut against former club Aston Villa, with ReadArsenal’s predicted XI examining Arteta’s decision ahead of Monday night’s game.
Mikel Arteta wants more than homegrown numbers
The more interesting part of Arsenal’s strategy is Arteta’s obsession with what he calls connection.
Arsenal have deliberately assembled players who already know each other through England camps, Premier League football and the academy system.
The Telegraph reports that Arteta believes those existing relationships can strengthen the bond between his players, the club and supporters.
That philosophy extends into Hale End.
Lewis-Skelly is already established around the senior side, while Max Dowman and Ethan Nwaneri represent another generation pushing through.
Seventeen-year-old defender Marli Salmon has also taken another major step, recently signing his first professional Arsenal contract.
There is no suggestion Arsenal are abandoning overseas recruitment.
Bruno Guimaraes, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz remain part of Arteta’s plans, while Arsenal continue pursuing major targets abroad.
Instead, the difference is that English talent has become an increasingly deliberate part of squad construction.
Arsenal’s previous attempt to build around a British core under Wenger ultimately failed to produce another Premier League title.
Arteta’s version already has.
Now the challenge is turning that £300m investment and a flourishing academy generation into something sustainable.
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