Nuri Sahin has declared that the Brendan Rodgers factor drew him to Anfield

Nuri Sahin has declared that the Brendan Rodgers factor drew him to Anfield - because the Liverpool manager reminds him of Borussia Dortmund's title-winning boss Jurgen Klopp.

Nuri Sahin has joined Liverpool on an initial season-long loan

Sahin is set for a Liverpool debut against Arsenal on Sunday, having signed on a season's loan from Real Madrid.

Life in Spain has not worked out for the Turkey midfielder, who made his name as part of the Dortmund side who won the first of two consecutive Bundesliga titles under Klopp in 2011.

The 23-year-old is trying to resurrect his career at Anfield, a year after leaving Dortmund for an injury-hit season at Madrid, and sees elements of Klopp in Rodgers.

Klopp took charge at Dortmund in 2008, after the club had finished 13th in the Bundesliga the previous season, and turned them into champions within three years.

Rodgers, meanwhile, has taken over a Liverpool side who were eighth in the Premier League last season, their lowest finish since 1994.

Sahin told the Daily Telegraph: "When I spoke to my family, I told them that Brendan Rodgers is a bit like Jurgen Klopp in the way that he thinks about football. Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool are similar as well.

"In Dortmund, we were a team. In the first season when Klopp arrived we were sixth, then the next season we were fifth. Then we became champions and last season Dortmund were champions again.

"That's because of a long-term project and I think Brendan Rodgers will bring his mind about football to Liverpool.

"As a club, and with the supporters, there will be only one way and that is up. It's a challenge to come to a club that is building at the start, like we were in Dortmund.

"There are the Manchester teams and the London teams such as Tottenham and others, and Liverpool are up there. It will be very difficult but I know we will do everything to get into the top four."

Sahin turned down Champions League football with Arsenal to join Liverpool, but is adamant his decision was not money motivated.

He added: "Money? You don't know me very well if you think I would go for money.

"If it was about money I wouldn't be here. I had quite a lot of offers that would have allowed me to earn three times as much as I will earn here.

"I'm 23 years old, I turn 24 next week and I don't care about money. I know that I will earn a lot of money in my career if everything goes well and it would be impossible in my situation and in my mind to put money above playing football.

"I could have gone to many places and earned much more than here. The only reason I am here is that I know that I can play football here, I know that I have a manager who trusts in me and the way I play and I am at a huge club. That is why I am here."


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