The Daily Bee (February 22nd, 2021): Borussia Dortmund Interested in Sven Mislintat to Replace Michael Zorc

Good morning, Fear the Wall!

With Borussia Dortmund’s Sporting Director Michael Zorc set to step down from his role in the summer of 2022, BVB’s front office is reportedly evaluating several candidates to replace him. As we’ve previously covered, Sebastian Kehl is currently the lead candidate to replace Zorc, with BVB CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke reportedly treating Kehl’s appointment as a practical inevitability. However, RN has now reported that BVB may also be interested in current VFB Stuttgart Sporting Director, and former head scout for Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal, Sven Mislintat.

According to the article, Mislintat and Watzke are scheduled to have a meeting sometime in March for them to discuss the possibility of BVB hiring Mislintat to replace Zorc. When asked about BVB’s interest in him, Mislintat gave a typically wishy-washy answer:

I am a native of Dortmund. That means, if there is an interest, then that is nothing that leaves me indifferent, but then I am happy about the appreciation.

Mislintat was responsible for many of BVB’s signature acquisitions in the 2010s, including gems like Robert Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembélé, Shinji Kagawa, and more. He left Borussia Dortmund in 2017 after falling out with BVB’s notoriously disagreeable manager Thomas Tuchel (see here for more). After his brief tenure in North London with Arsenal, Mislintat was appointed the Sporting Director for VFB Stuttgart, who have performed fairly well following their promotion to the Bundesliga this season.

Mislintat’s contract currently runs through 2023, but there is reportedly a clause in his contract that would allow him to leave in 2022, which is coincidentally when he would theoretically take over for Michael Zorc. While Sebastian Kehl seems like the lead candidate to take over as Sporting Director, I would not be surprised if we saw Mislintat return to Dortmund, whether as Sporting Director or another position.

Jadon Sancho, Erling Haaland Show Appreciation to Fans

After Borussia Dortmund’s thumping 4-0 victory over Schalke, Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho seemed particularly exciting, celebrating enthusiastically on the pitch after the final whistle. After the game, both players took to social media to express their appreciation to BVB’s fans:

I have to say, normally I don’t really care what the players post on social media, but this was nice to see. It’s been a long year for BVB fans, with a lot of demoralizing stories about how the club is in financial trouble and how every club in Europe is coming for all of our top players, so it was nice to see that these two young stars at least outwardly care about the club. It made me feel better, and I think it downplays the idea that these players just see us as a place to develop, and nothing more.

The Daily Buzz

Do you think bringing back Mislinat would be a good idea?