Sven Mislintat has spoken of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's decision to join Arsenal, saying that his main priority was to play for 'a big side in England or Spain'.
The striker was hot property after proving himself as one of Europe's top marksmen during his four-and-a-half years with Borussia Dortmund.
Aubameyang was met with a number of lucrative offers including several from the Chinese Super League, but decided to move to the Gunners in order to achieve his ambitions in the game.
Sven Mislintat was Arsenal's head of recruitment at the time, and speaking to The Athletic , he believes that a move to North London has helped to establish him a top goalscorer.
He said: "It was clear Auba had to make the next move in his career.
"There were some rumours he was going to go to China. I thought that was too early a move for him.
"I knew Auba well and knew he wanted to play for a big side in England or Spain. When I started talking to him, it was obvious it was not about money; it was about a new challenge, to play in the biggest and most competitive league to compete with the best players. And it was about reaching the next level.
"Today, he is one of a few players who were able to score a substantial number of goals in at least three of the big five leagues.
“It was a very interesting time but also very tough. Two months after leaving Dortmund, I had to negotiate with my old club but you have to differentiate emotion and friendship from work. I had to be professional and football is about winning.
"I dislike losing, so I went in and we made the transfer of Auba with the help of Huss Fahmy (Arsenal’s chief negotiator) and Arsene Wenger.”
