Borussia Dortmund have announced a former Liverpool player as their new head coach.
Nuri Sahin has been appointed Borussia Dortmund’s new head coach.
The ex-midfielder takes the reins from Edin Terzic, who made a shock departure from the Bundesliga outfit earlier this week. Despite guiding Dortmund to the Champions League final, only to be beaten 2-0 by Real Madrid at Wembley, Terzic left amid reports of a heated confrontation with now-departed defender Mats Hummels.
Sahin served as Terzic’s assistant for the past six months, having previously been in charge of Turkish side Antalyaspor. During his playing days, he had a spell on loan at Liverpool in the first half of the 2012-13 season from Real Madrid but struggled and made only 12 appearances, scoring three goals.
But he thrived during two periods at Dortmund and was a firm favourite of Jurgen Klopp with the pair winning the Bundesliga title in 2011 and reaching the Champions League final two years later
On his appointment, Sahin – who has signed a three-year contract until 2027 – said: “It is a great honour for me to be the coach of Borussia Dortmund. I would like to thank everyone in charge at the club for the trust they have placed in me. I am really looking forward to my job at BVB. From day one, we will do everything we can with a lot of energy and great passion to achieve the maximum possible success.”
Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl added: “Last season, Nuri Sahin helped lead our team to the final of the UEFA Champions League. He knows from his own experience as a player and as an assistant coach how BVB works – and above all how success works. Thanks to his natural authority and expertise, he has very good access to our team and knows what we need to work on together. Nuri enjoys our absolute trust, he has our full support.”
Lars Ricken, Dortmund’s sports director, said: “We are delighted that we can hand over responsibility as head coach to Nuri Sahin, a representative of the younger generation. He has worked hard over the past few years to prepare for a coaching career, will take on his new role with great dedication and will continue to develop our team.
“As former team-mates, we will work together with trust and ambition. Nuri knows the club, its employees and the BVB DNA both as a player and as an assistant coach. We are convinced that Nuri is the right coach for us.
Sahin could return to Anfield next season if Dortmund and Liverpool meet in the Champions League. The new format has increased the number of teams from 32 to 36 and the group stage will become a league phase with each club playing eight matches.
Dortmund only finished fifth in the Bundesliga but have qualified through the European Performance Spot awarded to Germany
