Where ex-Arsenal transfer guru Sven Mislintat’s nine signings are now as Lucas Torreira becomes last to quit Emirates
SVEN MISLINTAT was touted as one of Arsenal’s most important signings when he was lured from Borussia Dortmund to become their head of recruitment.
The Gunners forked out around £1.8million in late 2017 for the super scout dubbed ‘Diamond Eye’ to become part of their team.
But he lasted just over a year, leaving in February 2019 following a number of bust-ups after he was overlooked for the director of football role.
He then hit out at Arsenal for being a “dysfunctional mess” in June 2020 with Mikel Arteta’s side finishing the Covid-hit season in eighth spot.
It was an ironic statement from the 49-year-old given the fact that five of his signings were key players at the Emirates at the time.
The German made nine transfers during his short spell in North London – eight of which were permanent deals – with NONE of them now on Arsenal’s books.
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Here SunSport takes a look at each player and where they are now.
Stephan Lichtsteiner – Retired
A free transfer after the Swiss right-back left Juventus, the 38-year-old was signed to compete with Hector Bellerin and Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
He ended up featuring in 23 games in all competitions, but he struggled to cope with the fast tempo and the physicality of the Premier League in the twilight of his career.
He joined Augsburg on a free in 2019, where he retired the following year.
Denis Suarez – Celta Vigo
One of Arsenal’s most bizarre signings in recent years, the Spanish midfielder joined on loan from Barcelona in the winter transfer window of 2019.
But the player was hardly given any minutes by Unai Emery, with the 28-year-old limited to just six games in all competitions.
He failed to start a single match, with Suarez featuring in just 95 minutes of action.
The player joined Celta Vigo at the end of his loan, where he has made 104 appearances in three years.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – Inter Milan
Arsenal fans were delighted when they secured the services of the Armenian ace in January 2019 in a swap deal with Alexis Sanchez going to Manchester United.
And he enjoyed a dream first start as he laid on three assists in a 5-1 victory against Everton, but that proved to be his best game in an Arsenal shirt.
His performances dropped and he was used mainly off the bench in the 2018-19 campaign, before joining Roma on loan in September 2019.
Mkhitaryan proved to be a key player for the Serie A outfit, who turned his temporary stay into a permanent switch.
Having rebuilt himself in Italy, he was snapped up by Inter Milan this summer after refusing to extend his stay in Rome.
Sokratis – Olympiacos
A £16m arrival from Dortmund in July 2018, Sokratis was meant to bring steel to a leaky Arsenal backline.
And while he impressed at first, his displays dipped, with the Greek defensive stalwart soon finding himself out of favour under Arteta.
After being omitted from their Premier League and Europa League squads for the 2020-21 term, Sokratis had his contract ripped up by Arsenal.
He subsequently returned to his native country to join Olympiacos, where he has won two Greek Super League titles.
Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang – Barcelona
Undoubtedly Mislintat’s best signing for Arsenal, the Gabonese striker notched up 92 goals in 163 games in all competitions after arriving from Dortmund.
He will forever be remembered fondly by supporters for his involvement in the club winning the FA Cup in 2020.
The 33-year-old scored both goals in Arsenal’s semi-final victory over Manchester City and the final against Chelsea.
Aubameyang then scored the winning penalty in the Community Shield victory against Liverpool, where he also broke the deadlock at Wembley.
But he soon fell out with Arteta where he was stripped of his captaincy, before he joined Barcelona earlier this year.
Konstantinos Mavropanos – Stuttgart
The first signing under Mislintat’s stewardship, Arsenal forked out around £2.2m to land the centre-back from Greek outfit PAS Giannina.
Despite being highly-regarded, Mavropanos was limited to just eight games after being plagued by injuries.
He impressed on loan at German side Nurnberg, before spending two years on loan at Stuttgart.
And the Bundesliga outfit triggered a £3m purchase option in his contract in May, much to the frustration of Arsenal’s fanbase.
Matteo Guendouzi – Marseille
The French midfielder swapped Lorient for Arsenal in July 2018 in a £7m transfer where he quickly endeared himself as a fan favourite.
Touted as a future captain, Guendouzi racked up 48 appearances in his opening season where he was a key player under Emery.
And he was again used heavily by Arteta, before the pair fell out after Guendouzi’s antics away at Brighton in June 2020 where he sparked a brawl as well as boasting about his salary to the Seagulls squad.
It turned out to be his last match for the Gunners, where he was shipped off on loan to Hertha Berlin for the following season.
Marseille then landed him on loan the following year where he played a whopping 56 times to help the Stade Veldrome outfit finish second in Ligue 1.
His permanent switch to Marseille was confirmed last month with Arsenal pocketing £9m.
Bernd Leno – Fulham
Arguably Mislintat’s second best recruit, Leno was signed from Bayer Leverkusen for £22m to provide competition for Petr Cech.
The German was the club’s No1 choice between the sticks for three years before the arrival of Aaron Ramsdale in 2021.
He was ousted just three Premier League games into the new season after shipping in nine goals against Brentford, City and Chelsea.
But Leno never kicked up a fuss in his quest for game time and remained a true professional for the remainder of the campaign.
Citing his need to play regular first team football ahead of the 2022 World Cup, he left to link up with Fulham in an £8m deal last week.
Lucas Torreira – Galatasaray
The 26-year-old is the last of Mislintat’s nine signings that have left the club after he was deemed as surplus to requirements by Arteta.
Brought in from Sampdoria for £22m in 2018, Torreira starred in his opening season where he scored twice in 50 games.
But just like so many of Mislintat’s recruits, he struggled for consistency in his second year as he was limited to appearances off the bench.
After two years spent out on loan at Atletico Madrid and Fiorentina, the Uruguay international has finally departed on a permanent deal.
Despite pining for a move to Italy or Spain, Torreira has linked up with Turkish giants Galatasaray for £5.5m.
