He’s exactly what they need.
The summer will be a busy one for Arsenal. They first need to find a replacement for the departing Arsène Wenger, then bolster the unbalanced squad, and all as soon as possible, as their season could potentially start just 10 days after the World Cup ends, should they drop down to 7th and fail to win the Europa League.
Fans can be reassured that the scouting process should be slicker than usual, though, with the arrival of Sven Mislintat as head of recruitment. The scout was previously at Borusiaa Dortmund and brought many a bargain to Signal Iduna Park – Arsenal will be hoping to improve on a very hit and miss record when it comes to their recent transfers.
Mislintat’s first task seems to be signing Dortmund defender Sokratis Papastathopolous. Reports suggest that Arsenal could sign him for as little as £17.5m.
According to German newspaper Bild, the Greek defender and Mislintat are very close, and their close relationship will help make the process smooth.
After Arsenal failed to capitalise on the domination they exerted over Atletico Madrid on Thursday night, letting their lead slip due to two defensive errors in the space of three second, a new, reliable centre-back should be first on the shopping list. Sokratis would provide a solid base from which to build.
Arsenal have already reunited two former Dortmund players this year, when they signed both Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Dortmundification of Arsenal looks set to continue.
The Arsenal club shop will be thankful that the player goes by his first name, too.
