Mislintat leaving Arsenal over ‘claim he signed Aubameyang, refusal to attend matches and not being offered director of football role’
Guillem Balague says the German head of recruitment has an axe to grind as he prepares to leave The Emirates Stadium
SVEN MISLINTAT is upset over being overlooked for the director of football role at Arsenal and is leaving the club after failing to meet expectations, according to Guillem Balague.
Reports suggest the German is soon to depart after just 13 months as Gunners head of recruitment - though manager Unai Emery is unaware of any premature exit.
Ivan Gazidis' exit as chief executive led to a restructuring behind the scenes, with former head of football relations Raul Sanllehi becoming head of football and Vinai Venkatesham moved from chief commercial officer to managing director.
Mislintat has had little impact in North London since joining after 10 years at Borussia Dortmund and Balague has revealed what is triggering his exit.
He told the #GBTransferShow: "Arsenal are looking for a director of football and he was not offered the job.
"I am not sure if he will leave or not but it is quite likely he probably will.
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"Sven hasn't developed the lines of communication at the club. He hasn't done what was expected of him.
"He hardly goes to games, he is more of a stats man, and that doesn't seem to fit with what Arsenal want right now.
"He's upset and he's come to the press to say 'they're not treating me well'.
"Arsenal are trying to create the right structure to try and make them what they have been for a long while.
"They have always been ahead of the game in terms of signings. With Sven that wasn't fully happening."
Of the signings made during Mislintat's tenure at the club, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been by far the most successful having scored 26 goals in 41 outings for Arsenal.
The 46-year-old played a part in the Gabon international moving to Dortmund in 2013 but Balague says his role in his move to England has been exaggerated.
The Spanish football expert added:"There is a lot of engineering from his side to try and explain that it was completely unfair on him, that he was the one who brought in Aubameyang.
"He arrived in December and Aubameyang was signed in January.
"He wasn't him who brought him in, that was practically done.
"Perhaps he got involved in the end too smooth things over but it was not his signing, it was an Arsenal signing."
