Arsenal: Thomas Tuchel reports seem a little off for one key reason

Strong reports are surfacing regarding Arsenal’s apparent pursuit of Thomas Tuchel to replace Arsene Wenger. However, there is one key reason why they might be a little off: Sven Mislintat.

The quest to succeed Arsene Wenger has begun in earnest. It seems as though Arsenal and their greatest ever manager will part ways this summer after a souring of their time together in recent years. Slipping outside the top four for the second consecutive season, no Champions League football, and now empty seats at the Emirates have all contributed to this apparent decision.

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So now the focus turns to the future and who should be handed the reigns to follow Wenger. This is a club that has not had to conduct a managerial search and hiring in over two decades. I, for instance, cannot remember Arsenal without Arsene — I was two when he was hired.

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As such, no one really knows how this will all play out. No one knows what the Gunners typically look for in a manager. No one knows how much interest there would be in the job. No one knows what Wenger will do after he is finished, with some talk suggesting that he move into a board-type role at the club. Nevertheless, there are increasingly hefty reports coming from Germany that link former Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel with the North London role.

Tuchel has allegedly rejected Bayern Munich, who will need to replace Jupp Heynkes at the end of the season who is only their manager on a temporary basis after the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti, in anticipation that he might be interviewed and potentially offered the  job at the Emirates. It remains to be seen whether such rumours are indeed true, but there is one factor in the whole equation that I remain unconvinced by: Sven Mislintat.

The new Head of Recruitment was Dortmund’s Chief Scout during Tuchel’s time there. He had been in that role for many years prior, but it is the Tuchel period that is particularly interesting.

Tuchel eventually left Dortmund because of the very presence of Mislintat. He reportedly blamed Mislintat for the failed completion of a move for Oliver Torres and wanted a greater influence on the players that were signed. There was a clear power struggle at the club. Mislintat seemingly took a back seat in proceedings, but Tuchel still grew frustrated with his input and departed in the summer of 2017, just three days after Dortmund’s DFB Pokal win.

Some have suggested that Mislintat and Tuchel are prepared to put aside their differences, but it seems a little convenient, a rumour just to support the original rumour of Tuchel considering the Arsenal role, if such an offer is even in the air.

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I am not ruling out Tuchel being Wenger’s successor. It would be naive and somewhat remiss of me to do so. But the reports don’t quite sit right. The jigsway pieces don’t quite fit. I’ll guess we’ll just to wait and see.