The Danish international defender arrived at the Turkish outfit after a successful spell at Lille and wants his new club to compete at the highest level.
The 26-year-old says Fener’s ambitions match his own and there is a great desire from everyone at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium to go as far as possible in the competition. Having already added Robin van Persie to the squad, he believes that things are shaping up with promise.
“I was told before I signed that the club would show extremely high ambitions this summer and get more good players and add to the already good squad, and the club have done exactly that.
“My dream was to be part of a top club playing for titles and hopefully playing in the Champions League.
“Winning the league and being on the biggest international stage - that’s the ambition of Fenerbahce. So the games against Shakhtar are very important for us.”
“We have played really well and shown great quality in our preseason games. We’ve seen what a good squad we have in winning two games in two days last week against quality opposition like Olympiakos and Marseille.”
Nevertheless, the former Roma and Palermo man knows that Shakhtar represent a difficult challenge, not least because Fenerbahce’s preparations have been hurried due to dramatic changes over the summer.
“We have had very short time to bind together as a whole new team with a new coach, and we know that we can’t waste any time. So it’s been hard work. We have to be 100 per cent ready this early in the season because the first Shakhtar game is now,” he said.
He is hopeful the club’s support will give the players a boost for the first leg, which takes place on Tuesday evening, and stated that he has been taken aback by the fervour from the stands.
“I have been amazed by the level of passion that the fans have for this club and that is more inspiring than anything else. I love that passion, and as a player you really want to pay these fans back for that kind of support.”
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