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[Thread] Sven Mislintat's time at Arsenal has been clouded with various speculations and theories as to what went wrong and right during his reign as Head of Recruitment at Arsenal.
In this thread, I have made an effort to document his tenure as well as I can.
![[Thread] Sven Mislintat's time at Arsenal has been clouded with various speculations and theories as to what went wrong and right during his reign as Head of Recruitment at Arsenal.In this thread, I have made an effort to document his tenure as well as I can.](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EhD_P2GU0AAcbtz.jpg "[Thread] Sven Mislintat's time at Arsenal has been clouded with various speculations and theories as to what went wrong and right during his reign as Head of Recruitment at Arsenal.In this thread, I have made an effort to document his tenure as well as I can.")
In this thread, I have made an effort to document his tenure as well as I can.
You can't judge a man without knowing the parameters on which he's supposed to be judged and Mislintat it seems people judge him even for mistakes which he couldn't have committed.
Sven Mislintat was never a man like Edu Gaspar. He was an outstanding scout but that's about it.
Sven Mislintat was never a man like Edu Gaspar. He was an outstanding scout but that's about it.
Mislintat was not involved with the team, he was not involved in the contract negotiations as during his time Arsenal had a specialist for the job in the form of Huss Fahmy.
The German was a talent spotter and should only be judged like that.
The German was a talent spotter and should only be judged like that.
Mislintat is referred to as a shy operator who was more interested in getting the right players into the team then really being the face of Arsenal's recruitment system.
He would keep a low profile and wasn't interested in the operations of the first team and would rather keep himself occupied with finding another gem.
The "Diamond Eye" as they called him was not what Sanllehi became in his role as DoF, he wouldn't do press conferences and throw out the famous one-liners.
As I mentioned before, he was a proper scout and he kept himself to being just a scout rather than a media person.
As I mentioned before, he was a proper scout and he kept himself to being just a scout rather than a media person.
When Ivan Gazidis brought in Sven Mislintat and Raul Sanllehi, he brought two strong personalities with contradicting working styles.
Sanllehi's working style has already been documented well and doesn't require any repetition. However not many understand how Mislintat operated.
Sanllehi's working style has already been documented well and doesn't require any repetition. However not many understand how Mislintat operated.
Sven would target players at a very young age and then pursue them through. He would meet up with the families if required and streamline a path for the player.
He was the man who brought in names like Lewandowski, Dembele, Hummels, Aubameyang and Kagawa to Dortmund.
He was the man who brought in names like Lewandowski, Dembele, Hummels, Aubameyang and Kagawa to Dortmund.
And at Arsenal, he unearthed talents like Konstantinos Mavropanos and Matteo Guendouzi.
And if anyone doubts how long he can pursue a player, he has brought Mavropanos over to Stuttgart on loan from Arsenal.
And if anyone doubts how long he can pursue a player, he has brought Mavropanos over to Stuttgart on loan from Arsenal.
Guendouzi, otoh, is on the verge of leaving the club but is also set to make profits for Arsenal after being signed for just €7m by Mislintat.
As for what Sven Mislintat was able to achieve at Arsenal, all you need to know is that Arsenal's only two world-class players in the squad, Aubameyang and Bernd Leno, were signed due to his influence.
As for the "mess" he created with the signings of Emery (Mislintat was a part of the three-man team formed to appoint Arsène's successor) and Mkhitaryan
Emery was a late introduction by Sanllehi and he was the one who got him the job. Infact, Mislintat and Emery never got along.
Emery was a late introduction by Sanllehi and he was the one who got him the job. Infact, Mislintat and Emery never got along.
Arsenal's hands were tied when they signed Mkhitaryan from Manchester United. Wenger initially wanted Martial.
However, he was deemed important by United and Arsenal had to shift their focus to Mkhitaryan. As for the bulky wages he earned at Arsenal, Mislintat wasn't involved.
However, he was deemed important by United and Arsenal had to shift their focus to Mkhitaryan. As for the bulky wages he earned at Arsenal, Mislintat wasn't involved.
Stephen Lichtsteiner, Lucas Torreira and Sokratis are the three players for whom eyebrows can be raised. And while one has to accept they weren't his best signings, however, not one of them were particularly poor either. For the money spent, Arsenal got the value.
Torreira had a fantastic first few months in the Premier League however, his form dipped through the latter parts of his debut season. This season while he has featured under both Emery and Arteta, it seems his form hasn't revived since some questionable handling of him by Emery.
Sokratis was brought in to provide stability and consistency to the shaky defense and he did the job asked of him. However, he was never a BPC who could fit into the system of Arteta and is on his way out now with Arsenal expected to recoup a 1/4 of what they initially paid.
Lichtsteiner was another body brought in to bring in experience and cover the right-back spot for Hector Bellerin. He was past his peak and was never really able to get used to the PL's pace. He did what he was supposed to do but that's about it he was an average signing at best.
With all the signings that Arsenal made under Sven, there was an efficient mix of what was required immediately to fix the galore of issues in the squad and some carefully manoeuvred signings placed with an aim to elevate the club to the required level in the future.
However, the process was halted in between Sven Mislintat's departure from the club and his departure signifies a lot which went wrong at the club post the Wenger-Era.
Ivan Gazidis was the man to bring Mislintat and Sanllehi and for someone as skilful and as highly regarded in the business, as he's, it must have been known to him that he was bringing in two different work styles and that it required his supervision to avoid any fallout.
And he might have backed himself to get the job done. And tbh, what he was trying to do would have been fruitful for the club. Mislintat could have brought in his signings who necessarily wouldn't have been stars but have the potential to be great players with good resale value.
While Raul could have delivered on the targets that were identified by the recruitment team and got them through the door using his wide web of contacts. However, for this to happen the club required a specific vision which everyone bought into.
All the parts required to move in sync were Arsenal's ambitious transfer machine to perform. However, the moment Gazidis left a gross imbalance was instilled in a system which required equality as essential fuel.
Raul Sanllehi was promoted while Mislintat, who was promised the post of Technical Director by Ivan Gazidis once he's eased in, wasn't promoted. Unai Emery was then appointed as Arsenal's manager, who was quite clearly Sanllehi's man.
Infact Sanllehi's downfall at Arsenal was triggered when he was apparently looking to extend Emery's contract without the owner's nod.
Mislintat was overpowered by the combination of Sanllehi and Emery and he felt sidelined and not being provided with enough space for him to express. Unai Emery wanted specific players who he has worked with however Mislintat wasn't necessarily impressed by his choice of players.
Infact the very last deal of Mislintat's tenure can be seen as the poster boy of what went wrong. Emery wanted Denis Suarez on loan in January Mislintat was courting for a young player from the academy to be prompted but the German's plea was unheard and that sealed his departure
Mislintat's time at Arsenal could have been longer and far more fruitful had Ivan Gazidis not made an impromptu exit, had he placed a well-balanced system in place before leaving.
Had the Kroenkes shown more interest. It wasn't rocket science that Mislintat and Sanllehi couldn't work together without a balance of power, I'm sure the business tycoons understand a thing or two about it.
But had they cared enough when Gazidis, the man they trusted, left. Had they sent a Tim Lewis earlier or had Sanllehi been more welcoming of Mislintat's approach or had Mislintat been more malleable to the new system in place.
And before we end this thread, let me leave you with some Sven Mislintat quotes and facts regarding his tenure at Arsenal.
On joining Arsenal: Sven Mislintat:
"It's been an amazing experience to work at a great club like Arsenal in what has been a big time of change. I am excited about what the future holds for the club and am looking forward to new challenges for myself."
"It's been an amazing experience to work at a great club like Arsenal in what has been a big time of change. I am excited about what the future holds for the club and am looking forward to new challenges for myself."
On Matteo Guendouzi:
“For us, the transfer of this 18-year-old boy [Guendouzi] was an important signal to show the world."
“We are the old Arsenal again, who give young players a real chance."
![On Matteo Guendouzi: “For us, the transfer of this 18-year-old boy [Guendouzi] was an important signal to show the world."“We are the old Arsenal again, who give young players a real chance."](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EhEOt_nU4AAGecD.jpg "On Matteo Guendouzi: “For us, the transfer of this 18-year-old boy [Guendouzi] was an important signal to show the world.\"“We are the old Arsenal again, who give young players a real chance.\"")
“For us, the transfer of this 18-year-old boy [Guendouzi] was an important signal to show the world."
“We are the old Arsenal again, who give young players a real chance."
On Aubameyang:
"It was clear Auba had to make the next move in his career. There were rumours he was going to go to China. I thought that was too early a move for him. I knew Auba well & knew he wanted to play for a big side in England or Spain.”
"It was clear Auba had to make the next move in his career. There were rumours he was going to go to China. I thought that was too early a move for him. I knew Auba well & knew he wanted to play for a big side in England or Spain.”
"When I started talking to him, it was obvious it was not about money. It was about a new challenge, to play in the biggest & most competitive league to compete with the best players & it was about reaching the next level.”
Infact, Nicolas Pepe was apparently Mislintat's last recommendation to Raul Sanllehi before he left.
Bayern were interested in signing Sven Mislintat once he left Arsenal.
I will use a wonderful quote I came across during my research for this thread which sums up Sven Mislintat's time at Arsenal.
"Sven Mislintat was the right present at the right place but at the wrong time."
"Sven Mislintat was the right present at the right place but at the wrong time."
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