Report Claims Sven Mislintat Signed Greek Defender in January Without the Knowledge of Arsene Wenger
Arsenal's head of recruitment Sven Mislintat signed Greek defender Konstantinos Mavropanos in January without the knowledge of manager Arsene Wenger, according to a recent report.
The 20-year-old joined the North London side at the beginning of 2018 from PAS Giannina for a fee of £1.89m, making his debut in their recent defeat to Manchester United, although the towering Greek gave an impressive account of himself.
Despite a promising first start for the club however, a recent article from the Daily Mail (via the Daily Cannon) claims that Mavropanos joined the Premier League side behind the back of the outgoing Wenger, who is set to leave the club at the end of the season after a 22-year stay at the club.
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The article from journalist Sami Mokbel reads: "Whoever replaces Wenger is unlikely to have the iron grip over transfers that he enjoyed during his reign as it emerges that Konstantinos Mavropanos was signed without the 68-year-old being consulted.
"The Greek defender arrived in January and made his senior debut in the defeat at Manchester United. But it is understood Wenger had virtually no input into the decision to sign the 20-year-old from PAS Giannina."
As Arsenal are now searching for a man to replace Wenger, the influence of Mislintat is beginning to become clearer after his arrival in November, as strong reports linking Zeljko Buvac to the job at the Emirates Stadium is the latest indication towards Mislinat becoming a central figure regarding the key decisions at the club moving forward.
Mokbel continues, stating: "The circumstances surrounding Mavropanos' signing provide a clear indication of the direction Arsenal are headed to terms of their transfer strategy.
"Head of recruitment Sven Mislinitat's influence has grown significantly since his arrival in November. Mavropanos was signed on his recommendation. Wenger had fought hard to keep total control over the club's recruitment but Mislintat will almost certainly become the key voice over transfers once a new boss is appointed."
