Dortmund will hire ex-player and former Antalyaspor manager Nuri Sahin as head coach, the club announced. Sahin, who made 274 appearances for Dortmund and was previously Terzic’s assistant, will sign a three-year deal.

“It is a great honor for me to be head coach of Borussia Dortmund. I would like to thank everyone in the club’s senior management team for the faith they have shown in me, and I am hugely looking forward to my new role at BVB,” Sahin said in a Dortmund statement. “From day one we will do everything we can and work with energy and passion to make this club as successful as possible.”

Sahin fits Dortmund criteria

Sahin has a long, storied history with Dortmund, working his way into the first team as a youngster. The midfielder made his senior team appearance at 16 years and 334 days old, then a Bundesliga record. He played a pivotal role in the squad’s Bundesliga-winning season in 2010-11, winning Bundesliga Player of the Season.

Sahin left Dortmund to join Real for a $11 million fee, but his career derailed due to repeated injuries. He had stints with Liverpool, Feyenoord, Werder Bremen, and Antalyaspor, where he retired. Sahin is regarded as one of the best Turkish midfielders of all time.

He retired so he could immediately start his managerial career with Antalyaspor, where they were suffering in the Turkish top flight. Sahin led the club on a huge unbeaten run, rescuing them from relegation. Sahin left in November to take an assistant role for Dortmund.

Dortmund has period of change

Sahin’s hiring follows a tumultuous series of events for Dortmund, including the sudden resignation of manager Edin Terzic and defender Mats Hummels. Hummels told German newspaper Bild that he “felt insulted” by Dortmund’s style of play. It led to a “violent” confrontation between the two ahead of the Champions League final, which they lost 2-0 to Real.

Sahin is a breath of fresh air for a Dortmund side that finished outside of the top four for the first time since 2015. He’s had experience both as a head coach, assistant, and player, and he embodies the Dortmund spirit.

Jürgen Klopp had the most influence on my career. First, when I was a player – including when we won the league title in 2011 – but also when I became a coach,” Sahin said in a recent interview. “He always saw the human being first and then the football player,” he continued. “You felt it, from player number one to squad player number 25. Young player or old player, it didn’t matter to him.”

He coached his Antalyaspor teams to play dynamic and entertaining football in Turkey, building up energetically and pressing up high. He combines the ideas of previous managers Klöpp and Terzic along with his own unique ideas into his managerial style. It’s something that the Yellow Wall will surely enjoy.

Dortmund are reportedly targeting Stuttgart striker Serhou Guirassy, who scored 30 goals in 30 total appearances. He will be an excellent addition to a Dortmund side that struggled to score at times during the season.

“Definitely,” Guirassy told Sky Sports when asked if he was open to joining Dortmund. “It’s a very big club. But nothing is advanced, I’m still under contract at VfB Stuttgart. I was with the national team, and now it’s time for vacation. We’ll know what will happen in a few weeks.”

Dortmund will also target a host of defensive prospects, including Juventus wunderkind Dean Huijsen and Porto’s Alan Varela. With Hummels set to depart and the fitness issues of Niklas Süle, Dortmund need all of the help they can get on defense.

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