There is no point in Arsenal retaining Sven Mislintat if the club is unwilling to spend money.
Mislintat was appointed as Arsenal’s head of recruitment in November 2017 but it is likely he will depart the Emirates in the near future. The club are said to be looking to appoint a technical director, and it is believed their decision to overlook Mislintat is one of the major factors behind his decision to leave.
The 46-year-old has been involved in a number of the club’s major deals since his arrival including the club-record acquisition of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for £56million in January 2018.
His potential departure has shocked supporters, but former Gunners striker Smith believes there is little point in retaining Mislintat if the club are not willing to spend after Unai Emery confirmed this month that Arsenal can only sanction loan deals during the January transfer window.
"The Ramsey situation is a funny one," he told Friday’s Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast on TalkSport.
"He’s such a good player and to see him move to Juventus, where I’m sure he’ll do well, it’s a bit galling for Arsenal fans – especially given the situation in midfield.
"We’ve got Matteo Guendouzi, Lucas Torreira and Granit Xhaka – they’ll do a shift but they’re not going to create too many chances. It’s certainly an area Arsenal are lacking in.
"I think all Arsenal fans were hoping this would come to an end," added Smith, hinting at his frustration at another quality player be allowed to leave the club.
"They’ve got a new backroom team in place with Raul Sanllehi and Sven Mislintat, who seems to be leaving. He’s head of recruitment but there’s not much point him being there if they can’t recruit because they’ve got no money."