Sahin can lead Champions League charge

All you need to know about Liverpool new boy Nuri Sahin

By Emdad Rahman

Original article - Nuri Şahin became Liverpool's fourth signing of the summer when he joined on loan from Real Madrid last week.

Liverpool fought off stern competition from Arsenal, who offered the young Turk a chance to play in the Champions League, to sign the midfielder on a year long loan.

From a very young age Şahin has been coveted as one of Europe’s most sought after talents. He made his bones in Germany after winning the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund. His performances during the title winning charge earned him the player of the season accolade. A £10million prestigious glamour move to Real Madrid followed as Jose Mourinho snapped up Şahin on a six-year contract.

Despite limited appearances at the Bernabeu last season, more success followed as the sweet left footed playmaker collected a consecutive league title winners' medal as the Spanish giants clinched La Liga last May.

Whilst negotiating the conditions of the exciting loan deal, Mourinho was keen to point out that Şahin was very much a player that he wanted to keep for the future and thus wanted him to build up his experience in a top European league.

Liverpool agreed to the term conditions laid out by Mourinho, whilst Arsene Wenger who has been an admirer of Şahin’s for many years, favoured a loan with a view to a £15 million permanent deal.

Brendan Rodgers has been waxing lyrical about his latest acquisition. Prior to the deal being completed the Liverpool boss said: “He is a great technician. He was player of the year in Germany and captain of Dortmund. My hope is that he will be exciting and his quality will help improve the group."

With Steven Gerrard, Lucas, Jordan Henderson, Jay Spearing, Joe Allen, Oussama Assaidi fighting for starting places, Liverpool now have an abundance of exciting midfield talent. Şahin will be a major player at Liverpool this season and his chemistry with his fellow midfielders will be the backbone for a successful Liverpool assault on a Champions League spot.

Player facts

- Nuri Kazım Şahin was born in Lüdenscheid in 1988, in the year Liverpool star Ray Houghton broke English hearts by scoring Ireland’s opening European Championship winner against Bobby Robson’s men in Stuttgart.

- At 16 years and 334 days, Şahin holds the record of being the youngest player to have played in the Bundesliga.

- The Turk also holds the distinction of being the youngest player to score in the Bundesliga.

- Şahin is the youngest player to have played and scored for Turkey. Remarkably, his debut international goal was against Oliver Kahn and Germany, the country of his birth and where he plied his trade.

- Şahin won the bronze ball prize as the third best player at the 2005 Under-17 World Cup in Peru.

- In the same tournament he was awarded the Adidas Silver Shoe after scoring four goals to become the tournament’s second top goalscorer.

- In 2007-08, Şahin was loaned to Feyenoord, where he was reunited with his former Dortmund coach and mentor Bert van Marwijk. At the De Kuip in Rotterdam, Şahin became a KNVB Cup winner in 2008.

- Şahin was voted best player of the season in the Bundesliga for 2011.