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Former Arsenal recruiting chief Sven Mislintat has defended his transfer record at the club and believes they were able to help the club achieve its goals.
Mislintat joined the Gunners in November 2017 and brought no fewer than eight players to Emirates Stadium before departing 14 months later after falling through the club’s hierarchy.
However, only two of those signings, namely Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Bernd Leno, are part of the club’s first-team squad this season, with defenders Sokratis and Stephan Lichtsteiner, as well as midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan, both of whom they are definitely gone.
Veteran Lichtsteiner was allowed to walk away with a free transfer 12 months after joining without impressing, while Mkhitaryan and Sokratis’ contracts were canceled in August 2020 and January this year after failing to impress on the north side of London.
But speaking to The Athletic, former Borussia Dortmund scout and current Stuttgart sporting director Mislintat insists he is not ‘ashamed’ of having made those deals and believes the team was on the right track despite their loss in the Europa League final almost two years ago.
Mislintat said: ‘To be clear enough: I am not ashamed of any of those transfers, on the contrary, I will always defend these guys. Not because they were my players, but because they were Arsenal players and capable.
“They were my players, but because they were Arsenal players and capable. They appeared. The team was undefeated in 22 games in all competitions, reached the final of the Europa League and finished fifth with 70 points.
You can say that is not enough. But many teams would love to finish fifth now. I felt we were on the right track and would have enjoyed the opportunity to develop further at Arsenal. ”
Mislintat also helped bring in players like Lucas Torreira, Dinos Mavropanos and Matteo Guendouzi, who are currently on loan at Atlético Madrid, Stuttgart and Hertha Berlin, respectively.
French midfielder Guendouzi, who came to Arsenal from Lorient before going on loan last summer, was strongly questioned by Hertha manager Pal Dardai last month, labeling him an “angry rebel” who plays “teenage football. “.
But while he admits the 21-year-old is a bit badass, Mislintat believes that Guendouzi has the ability to become a ‘monster’ midfielder who he believes would still be an advantage for Mikel Arteta’s current Gunners team.
“If you don’t play with Matteo in midfield, it must be a very strong midfield,” Mislintat added. “When he was a teenager in Ligue 2, he played 48 games for Arsenal in his first season.
I assure you that you are not capable of ‘surviving’ that many international matches in the Premier League playing teenage football.
“Obviously he doesn’t do everything well, but he plays with determination and quality that make him an extraordinary player. we want players who are brave with the ball, who can overcome the pressure. Losing some strange ball is part of that.
‘You should not try to change his game, but work on the details to improve it, if you can do it, you make him a’ monster ‘midfielder. My personal opinion is that Matteo would still add some additional qualities to Arsenal’s midfield. ‘
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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