http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/live...rpool-fc-have-turned-video-100252-31624718/2/ AS A German-born Turkish international who has enjoyed stints playing in both the Netherlands and Spain, it is fair to say Nuri Sahin is, at 23, pretty well travelled in footballing terms. And if Liverpool, as they expect to, complete a deal to sign the midfielder on loan from Real Madrid this week, they will look to tap into the experience gleaned along his journey. The Reds are confident they have fought off interest from both Tottenham and Arsenal, amongst others, to sign Sahin. The former Borussia Dortmund man sought advice from former Liverpool favourite Xabi Alonso before informing Brendan Rodgers of his desire to move to Anfield, but it is not just conversations that the two share. Sahin, like Alonso, is a midfielder of class and subtlety, a user of the ball who can launch attacks from deep with accurate diagonals, and finish them with a silky swish of his right boot. If he can rediscover some rhythm after a solitary, frustrating season in Spain, he would appear to fit Rodgersâ Reds blueprint perfectly. Sahin made just ten appearances for Real last season, having joined on a free transfer following the expiry of his Dortmund contract last summer. The Turk signed a six-year contract at the Bernabeu, but his season was delayed by a knee injury, with his debut coming as a second-half substitute in a 7-1 thrashing of Osasuna in November. Sahin replaced Sami Khedira that evening, but the German internationalâs form would prove obstructive to his attempts to establish himself in Mourinhoâs plans. He would manage just 126 minutes of La Liga action as Real won their first league title in four years. It was all a far cry from the previous year, which had seen Sahin instrumental in the rise of Jurgen Kloppâs freewheeling Borussia Dortmund side. Klopp, an idealist, had set about devising a side to conquer Germany upon taking the reins at the Westfalenstadion in 2008. One of his first steps was to inform Sahin, who had spent the previous season on loan with Feyenoord, that he was to be central to his plans. It worked a treat. As Dortmund brought through young talent such as Kevin Grosskreutz, Lukas Piszczek, Mats Hummels and Mario Gotze, so the likes of Sahin began to sparkle. His development had faltered after he had burst onto the scene as a teenager, but under Klopp it would accelerate. One of his last acts as a Dortmund player was to pick up the award from Kicker magazine for the Bundesligaâs best player. Sahin is no stranger to such personal plaudits. He was the youngest player to appear in the Bundesliga when making his Dortmund debut, aged 16, in August 2005, and became the youngest Bundesliga goalscorer three months later. Earlier that year, he had been named Player of the Tournament at the UEFA Under-17 Championships in Italy. The midfield schemer had taken unfancied Turkey all the way to the final, including a win over an England side containing Theo Walcott, where they eventually defeated Holland. He would take them to a fourth-place finish at the Under-17 World Cup in Peru just six weeks later, scoring four goals and earning the bronze ball behind Mexicoâs Carlos Vela and the Brazilian Anderson. Sahin now has 33 caps at senior international level, retaining his place in Abdullah Avciâs plans last season despite his lack of club action. He may have seen plenty in his relatively infant career so far, but the feeling is that there is plenty more to come. Liverpool will be hoping they are the ones who get to see it.
Was a big fan of him at BVB, shame about last season as I completely forgot about him until we were linked. Might make more of an effort to follow BVB again this year, they play some quality football and have some great players. Better than La Liga imo.
Thanks for the info on both players let's hope we can get the deals done. Tello sounds less keen but hopefully having the Spanish speaking manager and players might encourage him to make that move here. Fingers crossed.
