Sven Mistlintat was brought to Arsenal to revolutionise their transfer strategy and help the club to identify players capable of helping the Gunners return to their former glory. 

Arsenal's head of recruitment has clearly placed an emphasis on the long-term strategy since joining the club. The arrival of the unknown Konstantinos Mavropanos in January 2018 served to underline the nucleus of his policy at Arsenal, and further acquisitions of Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi were clearly designed to lay the foundations of a successful long-term future.

Torreira, signed from Sampdoria in a £26 million summer deal, has been a revelation since arriving at the club. The deep-lying playmaker may well have made a fatal error against Liverpool in the 5-1 demolition last weekend but there's no question he remains a firm fan-favourite following a glowing start to life in north London.

Mistlintat and the rest of Arsenal' recruitment team have rightly been praised for their decision to sign the Uruguay international, but with Aaron Ramsey destined to leave the club in the summer window the onus is on them to secure yet another game-changing deal for a top central midfielder.

With that said, Arsenal should be hoping to sign one of the most promising young midfielders on the continent, namely Nicolo Barella. The 21-year-old midfielder enjoyed an incredibly promising year in 2018 and his performances have reportedly commanded interest from the Gunners in the past (via Sports Witness).

Dictating proceedings from deep in midfield, Barella is a natural playmaker, boasting tight ball control, an incisive range of passing and the ability to balance defensive responsibilities with a forward-thinking approach in possession of the ball.

That Andrea Pirlo, one of the best central midfielders ever to grace Serie A, labelled him as 'one of the best in Italy' (via BBC) speaks volumes about how highly he is regarded, and there is no question he has all the tools to blossom into a superstar.

Torreira has been mightily impressive since arriving at Arsenal but Mislintat cannot afford to rest on his laurels after one productive summer, and if he can persuade Barella to make the switch to north London it would blow the deal for the diminutive South American out the water.

Arsenal fans - thoughts? Let us know below!