Andreas Hinkel is enjoying life at Celtic and he is delighted that the rumour machine linking him to other clubs in England and Germany has finally ground to a halt with the close of the summer transfer window. The Hinkel family are happily settled in Glasgow and recently celebrated the birth of a new baby daughter and the constant speculation was an unwelcome distraction.
"Of course it's a compliment when people tell you that this team or that team want you," he said. "But it can also get on your nerves at the same time. I read different stories about the possibility of going to teams in England and Germany and at the same time I was trying to play for Celtic and look after my family. That wasn't easy but it was only for two weeks and it's over now."
Hinkel is now fully focussed on Celtic's quest for glory this season and he looked ahead with confidence to the club's challenge in the three domestic competitions and the Europa League. "We have a very strong squad at the moment and I think we can do good things this year." he said. "We have won the league in three out of the last four years and we will be looking to add to that. I believe our squad is capable of making a real challenge. At the moment, we are competing in four tournaments. It means we have a lot of hard games but the manager has quality players available to him and I think we can cope with this schedule."
Tony Mowbray is in the process of stamping his own brand on the team and Andreas likes what he's seen so far from the new boss. Aiden McGeady and Shaun Maloney look set to play a fundamental role as the manager sets out his side to reflect his own footballing philosophy and Hinkel's part will be no less important as support for the man in front of him. "Shaun and Aiden are both excellent players and I think the manager is using them in the right way." he said. "They are lining up as wide players but he wants them to come inside, as well as outside and that has an impact on players like me. Since the start of the season, I have been playing behind Aiden. If he moves inside, I can go outside and we can link up - like we did against St Johnstone for Shaun's header.
last season's partner
"There is a lot of flexibility and I think it's good to have Shaun and Aiden in the same team." said the German international. " They can terrorise defenders and on the odd occasion, I can also help them terrorise full-backs! I am enjoying playing with Aiden. Last season, I was behind Naka all the time and he was a different type of player. Naka was very technical and his game was built on passing. Aiden is very fast and tricky. He runs at defenders and can cut inside and outside. My job now is to make sure I can keep up with him when we are attacking. It seems to be working well at the moment."
Hinkel has no regrets about leaving the Spanish sunshine and the glamour of La Liga for the SPL and manager Mowbray's attitude to the game has added to the contentment of the ex-Sevilla player. "I like playing the type of football that we produce at Celtic." said the Celtic number two. "I am very happy at the moment. You always want to be comfortable at a club. You always want to enjoy playing football and that's the best way to sum up my feelings at Celtic, I enjoy it."