'I enjoyed': Nuri Sahin explains what he really loved about his short time at Liverpool in 2012
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Liverpool have been good at recognising when it is time to move players on in recent years.
The Reds have had a really excellent record in the transfer market in terms of incomings, usually knowing when the time is right to refresh the team.
However, this is football and not every decision is going to end up being a good one. At times, you’re going to let players go who you maybe should have kept hold of.
Luis Alberto recently spoke about his time at Liverpool and the former Lazio man is certainly a player who the Reds made an error of judgement with.
Alberto was signed in 2013 but was never given a fair crack by Brendan Rodgers. After a series of loans the Spaniard eventually joined Lazio, who he went on to play over 300 times for.
One year earlier, Nuri Sahin was brought in on-loan from Real Madrid. Although clearly a talented player, Sahin did not even complete his loan spell, instead cutting it short and joining Borussia Dortmund in January. Now head coach at the German side, Sahin has looked back on his Liverpool days.
Nuri Sahin praises Brendan Rodgers
Sahin joined Liverpool on the back of a disappointing first season at Real Madrid. Having shone under Jurgen Klopp at Dortmund, big things had been expected of the Turk in Spain.
In the end, Sahin played only 10 times for Madrid, meaning his match fitness was poor when arriving at Liverpool.
As a result, the classy midfielder only featured 12 times for the Reds during the first half of the season, but still managed three goals.
There clearly should have been a future for Sahin at Anfield but, for whatever reason, it was cut short in January.
READ MORE: Nuri Sahin names the Liverpool player he’d really love to coach one day
Sahin has since become a promising coach and took charge at Dortmund over the summer. On Tuesday the 36-year-old is set to face Rodgers, the manager from his time at Liverpool, as Dortmund host Celtic in the Champions League
And ahead of the clash, Sahin spoke to TNT Sports about his time with the Northern Irishman at Liverpool. Perhaps surprisingly, the Dortmund man was full of praise for Rodgers.
“Of course [it will be nice to see him],” says Sahin. “When you have a history together, even if it was a very short time that we worked together, but I enjoyed the training sessions with him.
“I enjoyed the idea of football that he had. It was also the reason why I chose Liverpool back in the day, from many offers I had.”
Nuri Sahin could one day manage Liverpool
It is still very early days for Sahin as a head coach. Nevertheless, he is already on his second job in the dugout, having led Turkish Super Lig side Antalyaspor for almost two years up until 2023.
Dortmund is obviously a big step up, though, and gives Sahin the chance to truly cement himself as one of the game’s brightest young coaches.
If he can do that, then there could well be a second move to Anfield at some stage in the future for him.
Sahin clearly enjoyed his time at Liverpool and maybe has the sense of some unfinished business at the club.
If he can do well with Dortmund, maybe he’ll be a name in the frame when the Reds’ hotseat becomes vacant in the future.
