Jurgen Klopp 'friend for life' takes over Champions League giant as Liverpool must watch closely

Former Liverpool midfielder Nuri Sahin has been officially announced as the new manager of Borussia Dortmund. He spent a year on loan at Anfield under Brendan Rodgers in the 2012/13 season but never showed his full potential in England.

The now-35-year-old takes over from Edin Terzic after a campaign where Dortmund finished fifth in the Bundesliga but reached the Champions League final where it was beaten by Real Madrid. And while he wasn't at his peak during his spell as a player with Liverpool, the Turkish ace was at his best when working with Jurgen Klopp.

Sahin and Klopp had an excellent relationship during their time together at Dortmund. Klopp famously damaged his glasses after colliding with his midfielder after winning the Bundesliga title in 2011 — a few years before Adam Lallana repeated the trick against Norwich City in the Premier League.

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While Sahin left Dortmund to sign for Real Madrid that summer, Klopp told him at the time that he had a 'friend for life', the Bundesliga's official website has previously claimed. The German later re-signed Sahin when the move to Spain didn't go to plan.

Sahin moved into coaching with Turkish side Antalyaspor when he hung up his boots in 2021 and later became Terzic's assistant in Germany before now being confirmed as his replacement. Already he is being spoken of as one to watch out for in the coming seasons, with Dortmund being the perfect place for Sahin to continue to develop and grow his standing in the game.

"There is no doubt about his coaching — he is very good," Sahin said of Klopp, speaking to Goal, in May 2021. "But what I love most about him is that he’s human. He touches you on a human level... This is what I loved about him and what I learned about him."

Sahin has some similar coaching principles to Klopp and he added: "If you want to be a good coach for a long, long time, you have to be a good person also, because the players feel it. You can’t lie, and Jurgen doesn’t lie. He is who he is, and this is one factor in why he has been so successful."

Liverpool.com says: The Reds would always look out for what is happening at Dortmund because the German side is one of the teams that contains many players and coaches who could take the step up to Liverpool, but Sahin is certainly someone to keep tabs on. He is a very young coach and still has lots to prove but the early signs have been good. Dortmund's faith is a sign of exactly that.