Dortmund’s midfield catalyst: I nearly joined Arsenal on three occasions

Nuri Sahin, the German-born Turk, is having somewhat of a revival. After starring for Jurgen Klopp’s early Borussia Dortmund side, he moved to Real Madrid for €10m but failed to impress. After a short spell in England with Liverpool, he has returned back to where he made his name.Sky Sports report that the midfielder nearly joined Arsenal three-times.

Sahin started his career at Dortmund where he won the Bundesliga in 2011. After showcasing his talents to the rest of Europe, Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho came calling but after playing just 10 games for the Spanish giants he was sent out on loan.

In an interview, reported by Sky Sports Sahin claims: ”Three times in my career I was almost at Arsenal,”

He further went on to say, “I think I was 16 the first time and then last summer we spoke with Arsenal, but in the end I signed with Liverpool.”

After struggling at Liverpool, Sahin joined Dortmund on loan, where he helped Klopp and Dortmund reach the Champions League Final at Wembley, which they eventually lost to Bayern Munich.

Dortmund Top Chance Creators This Season

He has played all 9 of BVB’s league matches, scoring none, but assisting one and creating an impressive 21 chances, just seven behind Dortmund’s most creative player Marco Reus.

Sahin is well-known for his passing ability and is showing exactly why this season. He carries an average pass accuracy of 81%, passing 446 of his 603 completed passes forward. It is this reason why Dortmund maintain their constant attacking presence in the opposition’s half.

Nuri Sahin Passes v Freiburg (85% Pass Accuracy)

Without the ball, he is equally as impressive, winning 34 out of 38 tackles this season (89%) and completing 67% of his take-ons.

In Dortmund’s 6-2 win at home over Hamburg, Sahin controlled the tempo and ran the midfield. His Heat Map shows exactly how much ground he covered in midfield, even managing to get down the left and right wing on occasion.

Nuri Sahin Heat Map v Hamburg

Sahin will keep Dortmund ticking over in midfield and is the perfect link between defence and attack. He is capable of playing simple passes to maintain possession, as well as launching quick counter-attacks, which is important to they way that Jurgen Klopp wants his team to play.

The Emirates pitch is large and, if given the space, Sahin will punish Arsenal in tonight’s Champions League fixture. His passing range is excellent with his average passing length being 21 metres in the Bundesliga and 20m in the Champions League.

When Gundogan eventually returns from injury, he’ll have some battle on his hands trying to oust Sahin from the midfield. He’s in excellent form and seems to have his mojo back.

Klopp will be pleased the old Sahin has returned.