Arsenal’s new head of recruitment Sven Mislintat is talking about his new job and the “sky high” expectations that come with it.
Mislintat left Borussia Dortmund for Arsenal last month. Mislintat was responsible for several key transfers at the Westfalenstadion, such as the signings of Ousmane Dembele, Shinji Kagawa and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
“When I flip through the press in England and Germany, it appears a new Dembele is expected of me in every transfer period. The expectations are sky high,” Mislintat said (h/t ESPN FC).
“When I started out at Dortmund [in late 2006] I had other options to develop at a club with grown structures,” he said. “I was able to build and grow into the role. These days, Arsenal sign me with brutal expectations — it can’t get any higher in their perception.”
Mislintat also discussed the strategy of signings with Arsenal.
“Spending big is not the approach of the owner, nor is that of Arsene [Wenger],” Mislintat said.
“Getting me is not a sure-fire success for good transfers,” he said. “You need an excellent team willing to work incredibly hard, and also fired up for finding the new Ousmane Dembele or Dan-Axel Zagadou.”
He also discussed the chain of command.
“Arsene and CEO Ivan Gazidis are the two persons I report to,” he said. “I am looking forward to [working with] him. I can only learn from someone who has shown his qualities for decades.”
