During his time as chief scout at Borussia Dortmund, Sven Mislintat became well known for signing unknown talents that went on to become household names across not just Germany but the whole world. The list of names signed under his tenure includes Robert Lewandowski, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mats Hummels, Jadon Sancho, and Ousmane Dembélé.
Nevertheless, he departed the Westfalenstadion in November 2017 and has since taken on roles at Arsenal, Stuttgart, and Ajax. Most recently, he agreed to take over as the director of football at Ajax in April 2023, following three years as the sporting director at Stuttgart; however, just five months later, he was released from the club.
Speaking to Sky Germany, Mislintat would comment on his time in the Netherlands: “The Ajax issue is over for me; I’m free to decide what I can do next. Unfortunately, the time in Amsterdam was far too short. I had the feeling that I couldn’t show what would have been possible with this team. It’s nice for the players and the club that things are going better again after the change of coach. That also puts me in a better light. It looked strange when it was over again after four or five months. It felt completely unfinished. It also hurt a bit, but that’s football. I helped choose the coach, and I’ll take that to task. But you can learn from mistakes like that, and that’s important when you work somewhere else again.”
Regardless, while his time at Ajax has come to an end, the future appears to be bright for Mislintat. With positive relationships still in place at Dortmund and Stuttgart, the 51-year-old did not rule out a potential return to one of his former clubs:
“Dortmund is home, and the relationship isn’t rusty. Hans-Joachim Watzke didn’t have to say that publicly about my departure to Arsenal, but that shows his appreciation, and I felt that too. A club in whose region I was born and in my heart, I will never rule out the possibility of working again. But BVB is not an issue for me at the moment. And Stuttgart is also a club that will always remain in my heart. I will also be in the stadium on Saturday against Leipzig. I always think it’s important to form very strong groups that work together, that bring in different expertise, and that contribute to achieving the best possible results in a healthy culture of debate. And I had that at both clubs.”
With Mislintat in attendance for the clash between Stuttgart and RB Leipzig on Saturday afternoon, he will be hoping to see Die Roten bounce back from two consecutive defeats. Nevertheless, they will have to do so without star striker Serhou Guirassy, whom Mislintat admitted to appreciating:
“I knew Serhou very well from his time in Cologne and was always convinced that he had huge potential, but that he only showed it under the radar in Rennes. He is a complete package. So good, both personally and athletically, that I’m sure that he was already a good successor to Sasa Kalajdzic back then. I don’t think Serhou is leaving the club because of money. He can fully identify with the club, something special would have to happen.”
However, even if a return to one of his previous clubs does not come to fruition, Mislintat stated his desire to remain in Europe. When he was asked about the possibility of working in Saudi Arabia, the 51-year-old explained:
“I can’t imagine that. I think it’s legitimate how they’re trying to build a successful football league. Why shouldn’t they be allowed to do that, like the Premier League has done in the last few decades, no matter how the money comes into the market? For my part, I am tied to European football in terms of content and identification. For me, it is the structures at a traditional club that I need, and that is not the case in Saudi Arabia.”
GGFN | Will Shopland
