Former fan favorites Nuri Sahin and Sven Bender are returning to Borussia Dortmund as assistant coaches and will work together to support Edin Terzic.
The club confirmed this on Friday (December 29th). Both signed a contract until 2025. Assistant coach Armin Reutershahn is leaving “at his own request”.
“We have intensively analyzed the course of the season so far. One of our shared findings was to want to give new impetus to the coaching staff,” said sports director Sebastian Kehl, who had played with both of them. Sahin and Bender are “two professionals and personalities who will enrich us with their different experiences and qualities, both in terms of content and character. We are convinced that the two of them will make us stronger as a team.”
Both with Dortmund champions and cup winners
Sahin has been head coach at Turkish first division club Antalyaspor since October 2021. His contract, which runs until 2026, has been terminated. Bender was most recently assistant coach of the U16 national team.
“It was not an easy decision,” admitted 35-year-old Sahin after an “incredibly intense, educational and emotional time.” But he couldn’t refuse BVB’s request: “It feels very nice to come home. As a coaching team, we will try together to get the team back on the road to success.”
The Turkish first division club Antalyaspor regrets Sahin’s departure: “We as Antalyaspor are sorry to lose a great coach like Nuri Sahin. But we are also proud that he has received an offer from a club like Borussia Dortmund received,” said deputy chairman Alkan Evren to the Turkish portal AA Spor.
According to his own statement, Sven Bender has been in contact with Terzic for a long time and knows “what makes him tick as a coach,” said the 34-year-old, who most recently worked as an assistant coach in the DFB’s youth sector. “When I was asked whether I could imagine becoming an assistant coach at BVB, I thought about it and finally decided that I absolutely had to be a black and yellow coach again,” added Bender.
Sahin is the youngest goalscorer Bundesliga history
Sahin became the youngest goalscorer in Bundesliga history in Dortmund in 2005 at the age of 17 years and 82 days, a record that was only broken 15 years later by today’s national player Florian Wirtz. He later became champion and cup winner with BVB, alongside Sven Bender (34) and Kehl. Sahin played 223 Bundesliga games for Borussia in two stages. In 2011 his path led to Real Madrid, and the 52-time Turkish international also played for Liverpool FC and Werder Bremen.
Terzic (41) won a difficult Champions League group with BVB, but there are enormous problems in the national competitions. Requalification for the premier class is in danger. Most recently, the club management decided in the winter analysis to strengthen Terzic and to hold the team accountable.
Next Wednesday (January 3rd) BVB will fly to the training camp in Spain with the two new assistant coaches to prepare for the second half of the season in Marbella.
