Former Arsenal transfer guru Sven Mislintat is on the verge of a return to top level football with Dutch giant Ajax - after the collapse of their move for Liverpool sporting director Julian Ward.
Mislintat oversaw more than £100m worth of signings in his 18 months with the Gunners, though all of his recruits have since left North London. He was the man who brought Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to the Emirates Stadium towards the end of Arsene Wenger's reign, while also helping the club land the likes of Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira in Unai Emery's first window.
The 50-year-old spent time at Stuttgart after leaving Arsenal, but reports in the Netherlands have linked him to the Ajax post. It would mark a notable turnaround, with the Eredivisie side potentially bringing in Mislintat to replace former chief Marc Overmars after the Dutchman admitted he sent inappropriate messages to female colleagues at the club - just four years after Arsenal attempted to replace Mislintat with Overmars.
The Mislintat links have emerged after Ajax's efforts to land Ward hit a snag. The outgoing Liverpool sporting director appeared to have clinched a move to the Johan Cruijff ArenA, but De Telegraaf reports that Ward will now no longer move to Amsterdam.
Mislintat has also been mentioned as a potential contender to replace Ward at Anfield, having ended his Stuttgart stint. "Ending the negotiations now is a mutual decision made by everyone involved, but it doesn’t change our mutual appreciation for one another," Stuttgart CEO Alex Wehle said after the German's departure.
According to De Telegraaf, Ajax has made an offer to Mislintat while also having a second, unnamed German candidate in mind. The same report claims it is "not yet clear" why Ward has seemingly pulled the plug on a move.
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Just four years ago, the boot was on the other foot. Arsenal made efforts to bring Overmars to the Emirates Stadium as a replacement for Mislintat, only for Ajax to block the pursuit.
The Gunners would instead end up moving for Edu, the former midfielder, who arrived back in London in the summer of 2019. The Brazilian has overseen Mikel Arteta's rebuild of the squad over the last several windows, with his compatriots Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Jesus among the stars to help propel the team to a title push.
Ajax have been looking for a suitable Overmars replacement ever since the Dutchman - in charge for the arrival of stars including Lisandro Martinez and Antony - was relieved of his duties. The reigning champions are six points adrift of league leaders Feyenoord after a difficult season in which manager Alfred Schreuder was sacked just a few months after succeeding Erik ten Hag and replaced by former Dutch international defender John Heitinga.
It is thought the arrival of a new technical director can help avoid the mistakes of the last summer window. After losing Martinez, Antony and Sebastien Haller, Ajax also dropped out of the Champions League after conceding 16 goals in six group games and lost a Europa League play-off against Union Berlin.
