Turkey midfielder welcomes Larissa loan

Turkish international midfielder Tümer Metin has joined Greek club Larissa FC on loan from Fenerbahçe SK.

Neighbourly welcome
Tümer will spend the rest of the season at Larissa, the 2007 Greek Cup winners, after deciding to seek a fresh challenge outside Turkey. The 33-year-old former Beşiktaş JK player said: "Larissa showed huge interest, giving me a very warm welcome. When I came here it felt right, and it is only an hour away from Istanbul. Greece and Turkey have the same mentality and culture, and that was key factor in my decision."

EURO candidate
Tümer won the championship with Fenerbahçe last term and has made 36 Süper Lig appearances since signing for Zico's team in 2006. He will hope to represent Turkey at UEFA EURO 2008™ having featured six times in their qualifying campaign, scoring two goals. Larissa lie 13th in Greece's 16-club top flight, having also exited the UEFA Cup in the group stage.