The new Hibs No. 1? Austrian Bundesliga chart topper on Easter Road ambitions and World Cup hopes
Former Scotland goalkeeper David Marshall impressed by save stats
New Hibs goalie Raphael Sallinger is proud of finishing top of the goalie charts in Austria last season. And just so everyone is clear on the subject, he’s definitely aiming to be No. 1 at Easter Road in the season ahead.
Signed to provide back-up/competition for Jordan Smith, who established himself as first choice after taking over from Josef Bursik last November, Sallinger knows how hard it will be to displace the experienced Englishman. But the 29-yearo-old, with one eye on qualifying for the World Cup with Austria, feels he’s got the ability and pedigree to at least compete for game time.
Revealing the part played in his summer move by a certain former Scotland goalkeeper currently serving as right-hand man to sporting director Malky Mackay, Sallinger said: "I spoke to David Marshall, and he said he liked the way I played in Austria before. I did a lot of good footwork, also had a lot of good saves.
“I think I had the most saves in Austria last season. So that was maybe one of the main factors why Hibs chose me.”
Sallinger put up impressive numbers in Austrian top flight
Nobody stopped more efforts on target than the TSV Hartberg over the course of the Austrian Bundesliga campaign, it’s true. And Sallinger has impressed coaches with his ability in training and during pre-season friendlies.
But, with the example of Bursik still fresh in the memory, every Hibs fan will be wary of getting carried away by this obviously confident, capable, lean and rangy keeper. At least until they see whether he can cope with the utter mayhem of the Scottish Premiership.
Former Kaiserslautern keeper’s international hopes
"Of course, this should always be the target of a goalkeeper - to play,” said Sallinger, the former Kaiserslautern signing adding: “This season could be very exciting for me because Austria are hopefully going to play in the World Cup next year.
“That's also a big target for me, because there is really close competition in the national team. So it's a big target for me to be in the squad for the World Cup next year.
“I think it's always a target for a football player to play at the highest level he can. So for me, the Scottish Premiership was just the perfect step, in my opinion. Especially Hibs.
“It's a great club in Scotland, a big club in Scotland with high ambitions. They did well last year, they qualified for Europe, so I think it's a very good step for me.”
Insisting that David Gray didn’t really have to “sell” Hibs to him as a next destination after seven season with Hartberg, Sallinger - who cost Hibs an undisclosed fee when he signed early in the summer transfer window - said: "I know the club before, so he doesn't have to say so much. I knew of Hibs because I'm interested in football, so I just knew.
"When you have an eye on Scottish football, of course, you see Celtic and Rangers at first, but then, if you look after that, you see Hibs, Hearts, maybe Aberdeen. When I heard of the interest from Hibs, I watched the last few games they played - and it was really impressive for me seeing the fans.
"When they played against Mirren, then I think I watched the game against Dundee; it was a very controlled game from Hibs, and they did really well. So far it’s been very nice, the team welcomed me very well. I felt good after the first day I came here.
“Also the staff and everyone is very nice. I'm really looking forward to playing at home in Easter Road
"It's not the first time that I moved out from Austria because I played in Germany before, so I know a couple of things that I have to do. But yeah, obviously it's a big step to go away from Austria because it's a different language.
"Okay, English is not that difficult, but they still need to teach me the slang here in Scotland. It's not that easy!
"Edinburgh is a very nice city. I've already walked around a little bit through the city.
“I live in Portobello, which is also a nice place to be, I think with the beach and everything, yeah. The weather the last few days in Scotland was very nice, so I hope this weather keeps up!”