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Arsenal appointed Sven Mislintat as their head scout amid much fanfare from Borussia Dortmund. The man nicknamed "Diamond Eye" has made some excellent signings over the years at Dortmund and was a key man in helping them reach the pinnacle of German football alongside with the electric Jurgen Klopp.
Ever since Jurgen Klopp left Dortmund, Sven Mislintat seemingly did not have the best of relations with the other managers, even publicly falling out with Thomas Tuchel, which ultimately led to him resigning from Dortmund.
Arsenal swooped in and got his services along with Raul Sanllehi the former director of football at Barcelona responsible for the high profile signings of Neymar and Luis Suarez.
Sanllehi will join in February but Mislintat has already hit the ground running with Arsenal by getting involved in the signings of Konstantinos Mavropanos, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Here is a shortlist of the best signings he has made since he became a well-regarded scout:
#5 Jakub Blaszczykowski
Jakub Blaszczykowski, also known as Kuba, was signed from Polish side Wisla Krakow in 2007, went on to become one of the most reliable players for Jurgen Klopp.
The Polish winger was one of the cornerstones of the Dortmund side which won 2 consecutive Bundesliga titles in 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 and the DFB Pokal in 2012, and were the 2013 UEFA Champions League runners-up.
Kuba had won the Polish Ekstraklasa title with Wisla Krakow and subsequently joined Dortmund. He was not a household name early in his career, but his performances for Dortmund announced him on the world stage.
In total, he played 252 games for Dortmund scoring 32 times in an 8-year spell before moving on to play for Fiorentina on a season-long loan. After his loan, he signed a 3-year deal with VFL Wolfsburg. Currently, he is the third-most capped Polish player with 97 international caps.
#4 Shinji Kagawa
Shinji Kagawa joined Borussia Dortmund from Cerezo Osaka in J League in Japan for a bargain €350,000 in 2010. Signed for peanuts, the diminutive midfielder went on to become one of the finest players in the Bundesliga and was a key member of the team winning consecutive Bundesliga titles in 2010-2011, 2011-2012 and also the DFB Pokal in 2012.
The attacking midfielder, known for his vision, technique and deft passing, scored some important goals for Dortmund including a goal and assist in the DFB Pokal win over bitter rivals Bayern Munich.
His performances earned him a dream move to Manchester United. The Japanese international rejoined Borussia Dortmund in 2014, and has a contract until 2020. In his 2 spells at the club, he has played 210 games, scoring 60 goals.
"The key player to begin my career in scouting was Shinji Kagawa," said Mislintat in an interview. "When you find a young player in a lower division and he joins for little money and can make the difference: That's the key moment everyone needs in their career." Golden words from Arsenal's new GoldenEye.
#3 Ousmane Dembele
Ousmane Dembele was making his name in the French Ligue 1 when Mislintat scouted and brought him to Dortmund. He was bought in from Rennes and stayed for a year before joining FC Barcelona.
He had a relatively good season, winning the DFB Pokal and being named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season. He played 50 times for Dortmund, scoring 10 goals, including a goal in the 2017 DFB Pokal final win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
FC Barcelona swooped in on him immediately and made him the third most expensive footballer ever by paying Dortmund €105 million initially, making it a great bit of business for Dortmund.
Dortmund could potentially earn up to €130 million in performance related bonus and other clauses making great profits on a player signed just a year ago.
#2 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was signed from Saint Ètienne in 2013 after having a breakout year, finishing as the second-highest goalscorer in the French Ligue 1. Scouted by Mislintat, Aubameyang was brought in as a replacement for Robert Lewandowski and went on to become an instant hit.
Aubameyang played 213 times for Dortmund, scoring an astonishing 141 goals becoming one of Europe's deadliest strikers. He wore the yellow jersey for 4 and a half years, winning the 2017 DFB Pokal, and finishing as the top scorer in the 2016-2017 Bundesliga season, scoring 31 goals, including a goal in the DFB Pokal final.
The Gabonese international was named the Bundesliga Player Of The Year in 2016-2017. Earlier this week, Aubameyang joined Mislintat at Arsenal.
#1 Robert Lewandowski
Easily one of Sven Mislintat's best signings, Dortmund brought him from Lech Poznan in 2010 for a paltry €4.5 million. He was relatively unknown until then but he made rapid strides in Dortmund and became one of the best strikers in the world.
His goals fired them to 2 Bundesliga titles 2010-2011, 2011-2012 and the 2012 DFB Pokal as Dortmund broke Bayern Munich's stranglehold in the Bundesliga. He scored some very important goals for Dortmund including winners against Bayern Munich in the league and a hattrick in the 2012 DFB Pokal final.
He was a member of the side that lost the 2013 UEFA Champions League final to bitter rivals Bayern Munich. During a glittering spell at Dortmund, he played in 183 games, scoring 103 times as he became one of Europe's most sought-after strikers, and joined Bayern Munich in 2014 on a free transfer. Notably, he finished as the Bundesliga's top goalscorer in 2013-2014.
