Arsenal have made great strides under Mikel Arteta. They sit top of the Premier League table and are into the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time in 14 years. That doesn't sound bad, does it?

A large part of that has been the immense recruitment strategy that Edu and Co have deployed in north London since Arteta's arrival as manager in 2019.

There have been far more hits than misses, particularly in recent years with a host of 2023 signings shining of late.

We're running out of superlatives for the great Declan Rice, and so we should be considering his £105m price tag. He has won games on his own; just think of those late strikes against Manchester United and Luton Town for instance.

There is David Raya too. No Arsenal signing has arguably been questioned more than him during Arteta's reign but his penalty heroics – making two saves against Porto – demonstrate that he is the rightful no.1 at the Emirates Stadium. There has even been a revival for Kai Havertz who has scored four times in his last four Premier League matches.

However, if a different strategy was employed at Colney then only Rice would have been signed. London-born, what would the starting XI look like if the club could only buy and select local talent?

We've taken inspiration from the Athletic Bilbao model. Over the 125 years of the club's existence, they have operated with only Basque players at their disposal, utilising footballers from a region of northern Spain and across the border in France. Aymeric Laporte is one of the most poignant examples of recent times.

It's a fascinating tactic and it would be interesting to see what Arsenal's squad would look like if they deployed a similar strategy, recruiting and utilising players exclusively born in the London area.

Intrigued to find out who's involved? We've got all the answers…

1 GK – Arthur Okonkwo Born: London

The goalkeeper situation was rather tricky. Not a huge number of stoppers have risen to prominence in the modern era after being born in London so we've opted for 22-year-old Arthur Okonkwo on this occasion.

Aaron Ramsdale hails from Stoke-on-Trent while David Raya is Spanish so would be ineligible in this hypothetical squad of players.

Okonkwo is currently on loan at Wrexham in League 2, living the high life under Hollywood owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds. He'd be required to make quite the step up if this starting XI was real.

2 RB – Reece James Born: Redbridge

There isn't a great depth of current Arsenal defenders from London so we've opted for probably the best option in the Premier League; Reece James.

The Chelsea skipper has a wretched injury history, notably playing just 390 minutes and eight games of league action this term but on his day he is an electric talent. For the Blues, James has supplied 21 assists since breaking into the senior setup. Just imagine that sort of quality in Arsenal's all-London lineup.

3 CB – Reuell Walters Born: Lambeth

The sole representative currently at Arsenal in our backline is academy star Reuell Walters. A regular trainer with the senior side, the 19-year-old hasn't played a single minute of first-team football this season but has been on the bench in the Premier League on eight occasions, highlighting how much Arteta rates his qualities.

Previously compared to William Saliba, it surely won't be too long before we see the Lambeth-born youngster make a breakthrough.

4 CB – Max Kilman Born: Chelsea

The Wolves skipper is Chelsea-born, coming through the ranks at Welling and then earning a move to Maidenhead United. A Jamie Vardy-esque rise from non-league football has subsequently taken him to the Premier League.

The centre-back is now comfortably one of the better English centre-halves in the division and has even been linked with a £30m move to Napoli. If Arsenal's transfer policy centered around London-born talent then they'd surely only be too happy to oblige for such a fee.

5 LB – Luke Shaw Born: Kingston upon Thames

The scorer of a goal in a European Championship final, Shaw is undoubtedly one of the finest talents to come out of London and walks into a side of capital-born talent.

Ben White is the only English defender regularly used by Arsenal and could be fielded at left-back, although was born in Poole, Bournemouth, so is ineligible for selection. The Man United full-back has been signed instead.

6 CM – Joe Willock Born: Waltham Forest

Now at Newcastle United, Willock has taken his game to a new level after graduating from the Arsenal academy under Unai Emery.

The central midfielder actually appeared 78 times for the Gunners first-team while at the club, scoring 11 goals and registering four assists.

However, after a swashbuckling loan spell in the Toon, where he famously netted seven games on the trot in the top flight, Arsenal cashed in to the tune of £25m. It's unlikely that would have happened if they only relied on Londoners.

7 CM – Declan Rice Born: Kingston upon Thames

Arsenal's club-record signing is an absolute shoo-in for this team and is perhaps one of the finest talents to ever come out of London.

Of course, Rice learnt his trade with West Ham United and after joining the Gunners last summer has become one of the most elite midfield players in the game.

The England international has now added attacking contributions to his arsenal – pardon the pun – scoring six goals and supplying seven assists throughout the 2023/24 campaign.

8 CAM – Emile Smith Rowe Born: Croydon

Now an outcast in the current Arsenal side, Emile Smith Rowe features prominently in this London-born XI as one of its key creators.

The 23-year-old's career has been ravaged by injury in recent years and is now seemingly not trusted by Arteta, with the Englishman starting just twice in the Premier League this term.

Arsenal supporters long for the days when he found the net on 11 occasions in 2021/22 but truth be told an exit looks inevitable this summer. It's safe to say he'd be far more important in a London-based XI.

9 RW – Bukayo Saka Born: Ealing

Who else? Saka walks into this team as one of the club's very best players. The winger is Arsenal through and through having risen through the ranks of the academy to make 216 first-team appearances.

The 2023/24 term is proving to be the best of the young attacker's career, netting 16 goals and laying on 15 assists across 37 appearances. Not bad indeed.

10 LW – Reiss Nelson Born: Elephant & Castle

Like Smith Rowe, academy graduate Nelson has found it tough to break into the starting lineup ahead of Saka and Co this term but he will always live long in the memory for that last-gasp goal against Bournemouth last season.

Sure, there might be better options around but Nelson is a pure Arsenal lad and would deserve a chance to make the left wing spot his own if the club could only select those hailing from London.