Hakan, you assisted five goals and scored eleven for Hamburger SV last season. You've already assisted six and scored five for Bayer 04 Leverkusen. What are your aims with the Werkself this season?

Hakan Çalhanoğlu: Of course I want to improve on my performances and develop myself further, but the biggest aim is for the team to be successful. Every player will benefit when we achieve this. I haven’t set a certain number of goals or assists that I want to achieve. I just want to be successful with Bayer 04.

How pleased are you with your performances so far this season? What do you want to improve on by the end of the 2014/15 Bundesliga season

Hakan Çalhanoğlu: I setted in well in Leverkusen and feel at home at the club. I believe that we’ve played well even when we’ve dropped a few points here and there. Our main aim is to also be awarded for our good performances. We’ll work on that.

Bayer 04 Leverkusen have performed well in all three competitions – Bundesliga, DFB Cup and the Champions League. Is the participation in all three competitions too much of a strain for a player – who is also possibly a national player – like you?

Hakan Çalhanoğlu: It’s true that you’re pushing yourself to the limit. Having a busy schedule isn’t always the best thing. We have to accept this, as at the end of the day, we wouldn’t change anything about it. The most important thing is to make sure you regenerate in between matches and recharge your batteries.

What do you make of the coming match against Hannover 96 on Saturday?

Hakan Çalhanoğlu: Hannover are in fourth, which was their aim. The team are strong at home, but the match won’t only be a big challenge for us. 96 have been convincing so far. I think that it will be a top match.

Our manager, Tayfun Korkut, was a Turkey national player. You’re now also one too. What would  you say the appeal is in playing for your home country?

Hakan Çalhanoğlu: The appeal is the same for everyone – whether you’re Turkish, German, English or Australian. You want to do the best for your country and represent it well on the world stage. That’s always something special. 

Thank you for the interview.