Arsenal have been linked with Borussia Dortmund’s players for years, but only after Sven Mislintat arrived have we actually managed to sign any.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that Sven Mislintat was signed as a specialist in signing Borussia Dortmund players.

Whether it’s a coincidence or otherwise, two of Dortmund’s key attackers down the years, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, could come to Arsenal in the first transfer window headed by their former chief scout.

The Gunners are finally doing something they haven’t managed to do in years: sign some of Dortmund’s best players. Mkhitaryan and Aubameyang had been linked with the club for several seasons too.

The former eventually wound up here via Manchester United, while the latter will hopefully arrive in the coming days. Before then, we’ve been linked with Mats Hummels, Marco Reus, Robert Lewandowski and Mario Gotze countless times. You have to go back to 2006 for the last time Arsenal signed a player directly from Dortmund.

Tomas Rosicky arrived amid much excitement. He cost a tiny £9m back then. Before then, Jens Lehmann arrived for £3m in 2003 and brought his brand of craziness with him- £12m in total. Only two Arsenal players have gone the other way.

Guy Demel, a right-back who would end up at West Ham, 14 years after his sale from Arsenal, is one of them. Guillaume Warmuz, who didn’t make a single appearance for the club, is the other.

Mislintat has ended a 12-year absence of business being done with Dortmund, and it’s taken him barely 12 weeks since his November appointment.