This summer, Hibs made their second acquisition.

After agreeing to a three-year contract with Hibs, Raphael Sallinger is looking beyond third place in the Premiership and is focused on moving up to Europe.

Following Jamie McGrath’s pre-contract signing after his time at Aberdeen, the 29-year-old is David Gray’s second summer transfer window acquisition. With Josef Bursik’s loan coming to an end, Jordan Smith, the head coach’s number one player at the end of the season, has made the decision to bolster his goalkeeping staff.

 

Sallinger joins for an unknown sum from TSV Hartberg of the Austrian Bundesliga, where he played 38 games in all competitions in 2024–2025 and recorded 12 clean sheets. Regarding his transfer, Sallinger stated that he is pleased to have achieved his aim of playing abroad once more and that he expects to advance to the league phase given the upcoming Europa League qualifiers.
Hibs’ summer acquisition on the Easter Road move

He said, “I’m very happy,” to Hibs TV. In my opinion, Hibs is a fantastic club in a fantastic city with fantastic supporters. Being here and playing successful football is something I’m really excited about. I believe that being here at the beginning of the preseason is beneficial, especially for a goalie. For myself and my new teammates, it’s a new nation. I’m glad to be here and am looking forward to meeting everyone.

I believe I first learnt about Hibs’ interest in March or early April, after which I began paying closer attention to the Scottish league. I observed that Hibs was performing well, particularly towards the close of the season, and that they were vying for third place in Scotland. They qualified for Europe, which is fantastic for the team and its supporters.

It was always a goal of mine to perform outside of Austria. Football is different in Germany, Scotland, and the UK, although Austria is an excellent league. I always wanted to be in Scotland and perform in front of lots of admirers. In addition to reaching our goals and qualifying for a European group stage, I hope I can be of great assistance to the club. Perhaps this season will even surpass the previous one.

How Hibs has a summer prospect who is excited

Sallinger is eager to experience such highs in Leith after watching recent Hibs games, such as the 2-2 draw against Rangers in the 24/25 Premiership season finale, where third place celebrations are still going on. Since third place has already been taken, he doesn’t see why the team can’t try to overtake Rangers in second place. “I’ve watched the last two Hibs games, and the crowd is really impressive,” he continued.

“Especially when the supporters were singing Sunshine On Leith after the Rangers game.” I found it to be rather astonishing and wonderful. I’m excited to experience this emotion on the pitch. Given that Hibs had a poor start to the season the previous year, I believe that if they have a stronger start going forward, you could be able to take on Rangers or something similar.

Our goal is to achieve the greatest amount of success possible. Hibs finished third last year, so keep your eyes up and don’t look down. Let’s see what happens. I want to do everything in my power to support the squad, like I mentioned.