Sven Mislintat’s pending departure could be great news for Arsenal

Arsenal’s Head of Recruitment, Sven Mislintat, seemed to be on his way out of the club. This could be great news for Arsenal.

If you’ve been past the Emirates Stadium recently and noticed the building’s still standing, no, you’re eyes aren’t playing a trick on you. Arsenal still have a home and are still relevant as a club, not that you’d know it from some of the hysterical reactions to rumors Sven Mislintat is set to leave his role as Head of Recruitment.

The German, who was hired 14 months ago after a messy divorce from Borussia Dortmund, is expected to leave north London imminently. BBC Sport’s David Ornstein cited a clash of philosophies between Mislintat and Head of Football Raul Sanllehi regarding recruitment.

Meanwhile, Luke Brown and Miguel Delaney of The Independent reported Bayern Munich are keen on bringing Mislintat back to the Bundesliga.

Whatever the reason, Mislintat’s time at Arsenal is set to be short-lived, although the club have refused to confirm any reports. The silence hasn’t stopped predictions of doom and gloom for a highly successful club with a rich and lengthy history which is set to crumble to dust without the super scout and his gaudy title most fans had never heard of before he was appointed.

Let’s hit pause for a moment, though, and look at why Mislintat’s pending departure isn’t the death knell for Arsenal. In fact, it’s positive news for the club.

One less cook in the kitchen brings clarity

Everybody knows the story of post-Arsene Wenger Arsenal by now. Former chief executive Ivan Gazidis orchestrated a soft exit for the Frenchman, who had become the subject of bitter fan protests despite 22 generally laudable years in charge.

Gazidis promised fans that power wouldn’t simply shift to another overlord. Indeed, he appeared to make good by constructing a so-called modern structure.

His network was littered with high-profile purveyors of behind-the-scenes brilliance. Mislintat and Sanllehi were the most notable appointments, a two-headed brain trust guaranteed to drag Arsenal’s allegedly outdated recruitment strategies into a brave new world.

Their work would supplement Unai Emery, Arsenal’s new manager — nay, Arsenal’s new head coach, don’t you know. His more in-depth coaching would make better use of the superior players he was supplied with.

Yet the problem with having so many decision-makers on board is knowing where the final say comes from. More importantly, with knowing who has the final say.

The phrase “too many cooks in the kitchen” was an obvious early concern about Arsenal’s supposed brave new Wengerless world.

Gazidis, who was meant to oversee the new setup, soon muddied the waters by leaving for AC Milan. While the man claimed to have engineered a “revolution” ought to have stayed to see his work through, the 54-year-old was also swayed by the kind of offer mere mortals can only dream of.

Gazidis’ decision-making triage was the type of idea that sounds great in theory. But the realities in practice are cold, hard and fraught with peril.

So it’s proved, as there’s no coincidence about the timing of reports Mislintat will leave. The January transfer window has presented Arsenal with the chance to bolster a squad still threadbare in key areas.

It’s also been the first true test of how the big three can operate together. Money was spent in the summer, but the well has run dry for the winter, forcing Arsenal’s three wise men to be more selective about what they can do.

Disagreements have clearly emerged, with Ornstein describing their nature:

"Although there has not been a major breakdown in relations with Mislintat, Arsenal’s lack of money to spend in the January transfer window has also caused issues.They are only able to bring in players on loan and those primarily responsible – Sanllehi, Mislintat and Emery – have not been collaborating as effectively as they did previously."

It’s better for Arsenal to put an end to such squabbling rather than letting it fester. Protracted tension between the men charged with putting the club back among the elite would wreck not only this season but subsequent campaigns.

Mislintat’s own history shows how ugly things can get. He famously fell out with then-Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel over the proposed signing of Oliver Torres.

Mislintat pushed, Tuchel said no. Mislintat upped sticks and left, but only after being banned from the training ground.

Arsenal don’t need this kind of animosity between a director, manager and his chief scout distracting from the season.

By declaring a winner early, the Gunners can move toward the kind of clarity sorely lacking since Wenger left. One coherent message has to emerge, one voice articulating a unified strategy.

It was never going to happen with two of the big three becoming entrenched at opposite ends of the spectrum.

If Sanllehi has assumed control at the expense of Mislintat, Arsenal at least begin to have some much-needed clarity. Mislintat may have been the people’s choice because of his work at Dortmund, but the identity of the man in charge isn’t as important as merely having a sole figure of authority.

Sanllehi steering the ship gives Gunners supporters, understandably baffled by the raft of seismic changes taking place since 2017, some answers.

After that, it’s going to be on Sanllehi to prove he’s up to the task.

Mislintat exit is clear backing for Emery

Aside from Sanllehi, nobody will benefit more from Mislintat leaving than Emery. It will be firm backing for a coach who needs the full support of those above him to help build a team in his own image.

ESPN FC’s Raphael Honigstein described Mislintat’s relationship with Emery as “very good.” Even so, Ornstein pointed out how there have been differences concerning proposed targets:

"For example, the interest in Barcelona midfielder Denis Suarez is being driven by Sanllehi and Emery, while Mislintat has targets of his own, yet there has been limited progress across the board."

Mislintat moving on suggests Emery’s voice is being heard where it needs to be. It’s only right for Arsenal to back the man trusted to replace Wenger, with more than just words but also with intent.

No manager can function competently without being able to employ the methods he trusts. Those methods hinge on players he knows.

It’s irresponsible of any club to hire a manager and not give him what he wants and needs for the job. If a manager stands or falls by results, he has to be allowed to choose the players who will be most responsible for those results.

If Arsenal want a cautionary tale about the dangers of asking a manager to act out of character, they need only look at Manchester United. The Red Devils hired defensive-minded and big-spending Jose Mourinho, then complained when he didn’t play an attacking style and develop young players.

Go figure.

Emery needs support for his methods before he can be fairly judged. He needs support because he’s trying to engineer tricky squad changes, like a future without Mesut Ozil.

What Emery needs is to work with players who will put his ideas into practice. He doesn’t need to be handed players by a sage guru and reassured things will work out if he simply reads the lines he’s given.

The difference between how Sanllehi and Mislintat approach recruiting, spelled out by Ornstein, can ensure Emery gets the support he needs:

"Sources have noted that Sanllehi’s approach towards recruitment centres on his vast network of contacts, whereas Mislintat tends to favour a more analytics-based approach."

Sanllehi’s contacts likely focus on Spain, where Emery made his name. Arsenal’s recruitment policy becoming skewed toward La Liga will be one more hint of, whisper it carefully, a coherent strategy emerging.

Then, just like with Sanllehi, the onus will be on Emery to prove he’s up to scratch. At least he won’t be able to say he hasn’t been allowed to call his own shot.

Room for a former player as technical director

One of Mislintat’s biggest gripes concerns Arsenal’s plans to hire a technical director. The German either wanted the job himself or at least wanted to decide who would get it.

The London Evening Standard‘s James Olley described Mislintat as “dismayed” a new director “would have greater authority than he enjoys, including a bearing on the team’s style of play.”

The final part of the last sentence is why Arsenal should be giving the technical director role to a former player. Olley mentioned Edu, while German publication Kicker has put Marc Overmars’ name into the hat.

Both are connected by one thing. They’re Wenger signings who won Premier League titles and FA Cups on the Frenchman’s watch.

Just as important, both Edu and Overmars understand the stylistic revolution Wenger brought to Arsenal. The club’s longest-serving manager enjoyed notable successes, but so did George Graham, Bertie Mee and Herbert Chapman.

Wenger’s abiding legacy in north London wasn’t the trophies. It wasn’t even the “Invincibles” and the unbeaten season, of which Edu was a key part.

Instead, the standout achievement of the Wenger era was the transformation of Arsenal from defensive pragmatists to great entertainers.

Wenger didn’t just swap negative rearguards for expansive passing moves. He made an attractive game as much an expectation of Arsenal as it is of Barcelona and Ajax, two other clubs Overmars has roots in.

Adhering to the stylistic template left behind will provide Arsenal the clarity of purpose any true strategy needs. Signings and youth development can be made with the final, pleasing-on-the-eye end product in mind.

It should mean Arsenal having an identity sustainable from one regime to the next, in both lean times and halcyon days.

Arsenal won’t sink into the abyss without Mislintat. It’s more likely the clarity his departure can provide about what the post-Wenger era looks like will benefit the club in the long-term.