"The Diamond Eye" - Former Arsenal scout who unearthed Lewandowski in contention for top Liverpool job

Former Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal chief scout Sven Mislintat has emerged as a serious candidate to become the next sporting director at Liverpool.

Julian Ward will step down from the role at the end of the season, just one year after replacing Michael Edwards in the job.

Ward's decision to leave came as a surprise at Anfield and has left the club with limited time to appoint a replacement before the summer transfer window.

Eintracht Frankfurt sporting director Markus Krosche has been linked with the role, as has Monaco chief Paul Mitchell.

However, Football Insider claim to have spotted 'clues' that two other candidates are being considered for the role of sporting director - Liverpool's current head of recruitment Dave Fallows and Mislintat.

Fallows is said to be 'in every meeting' and 'involved in every decision' relating to transfers, with the report claiming he is a 'strong candidate' to succeed Ward.

Mislintat, meanwhile, is reported to be 'another major contender' due to his past experience of working with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.

The 50-year-old, who is currently taking a break from football after leaving his previous role as Stuttgart sporting director in November, worked with Klopp during their time together at Dortmund.

Why is Mislintat nicknamed The Diamond Eye?

While at Dortmund, Mislintat was credited with unearthing several young talents – signing the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Pierre-Emerick Aubayemang, Ousmane Dembele, Shinji Kagawa and Mats Hummels early on in their careers.

His remarkable record at identifying top talent earned him the nickname 'The Diamond Eye' while at Dortmund.

In 2017 he moved on to Arsenal, where he was appointed head of recruitment but left just a year later after making eight signings, the majority of which turned out to be disappointments.

During his time at the Emirates he signed Aubameyang, Dinos Mavropanos, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Bernd Leno, Sokratis, Lucas Torreira, Matteo Guendouzi and Stephan Lichtsteiner – none of which are still at the club.

Nevertheless, Liverpool may still look to appoint him due to his close ties with Klopp, with the pair said to still be in contact with each other from their Dortmund days.