Nuri Sahin had every reason to be happy and smiled proudly. What the new coach of Borussia Dortmund also decides, almost everything is working right now. After he had tickled the new BVB favorite Jamie Gittens to another game-deciding performance at the start of the Champions League, he elegantly defused an issue with the potential to cause unrest.
Not all BVB players were in a good mood after the seemingly easy 3-0 (0-0) win at FC Bruges. Marcel Sabitzer, deployed by the coach in the right midfield, trudged through the Jan Breydel Stadium in a bad mood and was all too quick to complain about his role. “It’s a different game than in the center. So it’s not my ideal position,” complained the 30-year-old. “You’re always communicating. But not so much in detail. He’s the coach, he makes the decisions. That has to be respected.”
Without knowing exactly what the Austrian had said, Sahin started laughing again shortly afterwards. “He has told me 10,000 times that he wants to play at number six. I also know that he thinks Sabi plays better at number six. He will play a lot more games there. There are situations where we need him in the other position,” said Sahin, stressing: “Sabi is absolutely out of the question for me. He is a very, very important player for us.” And the explosiveness was already gone with his casual words.
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Jamie Gittens’ market value is said to be million euros, and rising!
Then Sahin smiled again and announced: “I am 36 years old now, this was my first Champions League victory as a coach. I just want to go to my team and enjoy the evening with them.”
He then met several players who are currently benefiting greatly from the new coach. Ramy Bensebaini and Niklas Süle, for example, who had already been written off and are now back in defence. Or, above all, the young Englishman Gittens, who has made the leap from a talented striker to a game-decider.
For the second time this season, the 20-year-old became the match winner for BVB with a brace after coming on as a substitute. First on the first Bundesliga matchday against Eintracht Frankfurt (2-0), and now again at the start of the Champions League.
The 20-year-old’s eyes sparkled as he proudly presented the UEFA trophy as player of the match after the match. “It’s a very special feeling to win this award. It shines a little bit, I like it,” said Gittens, announcing the future location at his home: “Maybe near the Playstation – somewhere where I can always see it.”
If it’s up to Sahin, the speed dribbler could win more awards at the highest level this season. “He’s playing adult football now,” said the BVB coach. “I had a few conversations with him before the season. Jamie himself wants to take the next step. We also want him to take the next step.”
The attacking talent is well on his way to following in the footsteps of his English compatriots Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham, who matured into sought-after players across Europe at BVB and ultimately brought the Westphalians a lot of money. Gittens’ market value is already around 30 million euros, and rising.
The challenge for Sahin now is to continue to manage the desires and egos of his stars with such confidence and to avoid pitfalls. So far, he has managed to do this impressively, although he does not shy away from bigger names in his decisions, which have almost all worked for BVB, who are still undefeated this season.
Captain Emre Can was recently given a break in the league. In Bruges, new signing Serhou Guirassy, ​​who had been injured for a long time, initially sat on the bench to manage his workload before scoring his first goal for Dortmund from a penalty in injury time (90+5). Gittens is also pushing for a place in the starting eleven after his impressive performances and is making demands.
“He would have liked to play from the start,” confirmed sporting director Sebastian Kehl. “But Jamie’s reaction is the right one. That is the reaction of a champion.”
