Sven Mislintat was reportedly the man at Arsenal who reached out to Liverpool’s Zeljko Buvac, setting off a chain of events that has seen the Bosnian leave Liverpool amid reports of a falling out with Jurgen Klopp.

When it was first reported that Arsenal had contacted Liverpool’s number two about taking over from their most successful manager ever, reports emerged that seem to indicate the Bosnian had merely taken a leave of absence due to his father’s illness.

But that story, which was strong in the first days after the rumour broke, has fallen away and there now seems to be no dispute over Arsenal’s contact.

This weekend, The Mirror reported that Klopp was ‘fuming’ that Buvac didn’t tell him Arsenal made him an offer.

Mislintat, who knows Buvac from his time at Borussia Dortmund, contacted Klopp’s number two about the job. Klopp then found out about the approach via his own friends at his former club.

BRIGHTON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 02: Jurgen Klopp, Manager of Liverpool embraces Zeljko Buvac, assistant manager of Liverpool before the Premier League match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Liverpool at Amex Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Brighton, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
BRIGHTON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 02: Jurgen Klopp, Manager of Liverpool embraces Zeljko Buvac, assistant manager of Liverpool before the Premier League match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Liverpool at Amex Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Brighton, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

Buvac hasn’t managed a team since SC Neukirchen, back in 2001. Since then he’s worked alongside Klopp at Mainz, Dortmund and Liverpool. The Bosnian, nicknamed ‘The Brain’, apparently gets most of the credit for developing the high-speed attacking football which is so inseparable from Klopp’s teams today.

Other reports on Sunday claimed that Ivan Gazidis, Raul Sanllehi and Sven Mislintat cannot agree on who should succeed Arsene Wenger despite the manager leaving in one week’s time.

With the clock ticking down towards a World Cup summer, the men charged with finding a replacement for the most successful manager in the club’s history have not yet decided who should replace him according to ESPN. They want an experienced head coach.

Arsenal's US owner Stan Kroenke (C) looks on during the presentation to Arsenal's French manager Arsene Wenger after the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Burnley at the Emirates Stadium in London on May 6, 2018. (Photo by Ian KINGTON / IKIMAGES / AFP)
Arsenal’s US owner Stan Kroenke (C) looks on during the presentation to Arsenal’s French manager Arsene Wenger after the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Burnley at the Emirates Stadium in London on May 6, 2018. (Photo by Ian KINGTON / IKIMAGES / AFP)

The Kroenkes, however, are said to be pushing for a younger coach, someone like Julian Nagelsmann or Mikel Arteta. Stan, apparently, wants to try and emulate the success he had with the LA Rams when he hired then 30-year-old Sean McVay to take charge of his team.

Josh Kroenke, meanwhile, is a known admirer of Thierry Henry whose name, thankfully, seems to have fallen away from discussions. He is charged with convincing the others at Arsenal that a younger coach is the way to go.

It is thought that a younger coach would allow Gazidis, Sanllehi, Mislintat and the younger Kroenke more power with some at the Emirates also seeing Josh as the future chairman of the club.