Sahin has appeared in almost every single Bundesliga match for Werder so far this season, missing just one game due to suspension. However, he has vastly improved since he first arrived at the club. The 31-year-old made the switch to SVW as a last minute transfer, therefore missing out on having a full pre-season with his new teammates. Now he understands exactly what the coach wants from him. “We did a huge amount of work on tactics this pre-season. That was very new to me,” said Sahin. “It helped me understand how the coach wanted us to play which was very important.”
However, the midfielder had to get used to his new surroundings off the pitch, as well as on it. Sahin was a key member of Dortmund’s squad for a number of years, and was seen as a leader among the dressing room. After seeing a generation of players come and go at BVB, he was now a new signing. “I had a lot of respect for the squad and made an effort to socialise with them because I didn’t know many players there,” Sahin reminisces. Moving out of his comfort zone turned out to be a success for the 31-year-old. “It worked out well for me, and I would say my move to Bremen was 99% of what I expected it to be.”