The former Dortmund chief could be reunited with Jurgen Klopp (Pictures: Getty)
Former Arsenal transfer chief Sven Mislintat has parted company with Stuttgart and is one of the names in the frame to take over as Liverpool’s new sporting director.
The German talent-spotter – who earned the nicknamed ‘Diamond Eye’ in his homeland due to his ability to unearth future stars – rejected a contract extension with the Bundesliga outfit and has therefore left the club.
A statement on Wednesday afternoon from Stuttgart CEO Alexander Wehrle confirmed: ‘Sven has decided not to accept our contract offer, which we regret.
‘Ending the negotiations now is a mutual decision made by everyone involved, but it doesn’t change our mutual appreciation for one another.
‘Sven Mislintat was part of our team for three and a half years and has always been passionately committed to VfB. We owe him our thanks and our respect for his efforts. Sven Mislintat will always be welcome in Stuttgart and at VfB.’
Mislintat is regarded as one of Germany’s best talent scouts and was responsible for signing the likes of Shinji Kagawa, Ousmane Dembele and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang while at Dortmund.
He had considerably less success during a brief stint in north London with Arsenal, bringing in eight players who were ultimately sold for a combined loss of over £100million.
Mislintat worked alongside Wenger and Emery before his exit (Picture: Getty)
Mislintat was brought in while Arsene Wenger was still in charge and also worked alongside Unai Emery, with Dinos Mvaropanos, Aubameyang, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Bernd Leno, Sokratis, Lucas Torreira, Matteo Guendouzi and Stephan Lichtsteiner his eight unsuccessful recruits.
Despite his lack of success with Arsenal, Mislintat could be heading back to the Premier League with Sky Sport Germany reporting that he is one of the candidates in the frame to replace Julian Ward at Liverpool.
The Merseysiders announced last week that the sporting director would leave Anfield at the end of the season after only a year in the post, with Michael Edwards having left not long ago too.
Concrete negotiations are yet to take place, but Mislintat is now one of the main names in the frame to replace Ward next summer.
He is said to have a ‘brilliant’ relationship with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp – who he would work closely alongside to determine targets – with the pair having worked together for seven very successful years at Dortmund between 2008 and 2015.
Speaking on his sudden Stuttgart exit, Mislintat said: ‘During our discussions, we failed to find common ground to continue my work at VfB. I regret that very much because VfB has become a real labour of love for me in recent years and I’d have liked to continue to play my part in the positive development of this great club.
‘I’ll never forget my time in Stuttgart – emotional highlights like our promotion or the last-minute victory on the final day of last season will stay with me forever. I thank everyone who accompanied and supported me on my journey, and wish the team and the great fans all the best.’
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The former Dortmund chief could be reunited with Jurgen Klopp at Anfield.
