Mika Baur's Ambition at Celtic: Champions League Dreams
Mika Baur has barely touched down in Glasgow, but he already has his eyes fixed on the brightest lights Celtic can offer – Champions League nights under the glare of Europe.
The 22-year-old midfielder has completed his move from German side Paderborn to Celtic in time to be available for next week’s Champions League play-off against Austrian club LASK, and he makes no secret of what drew him north.
“I think it's the best next step,” Baur said, laying out his ambition with the kind of clarity that will sit well with a demanding support. “It's a great club, it's a big club. You play in front of a big crowd, you're dominating the league.”
That stage matters to him. Not just the domestic dominance, but the chance to test himself when the stakes spike and the noise rises.
“You have the international games, the Champions League matches at night on the big stage,” he continued. “I want to show the people and also myself that I'm ready for that. So, yeah, I think it's the right move.”
The transfer took time to get over the line, the negotiations dragging longer than anyone at Celtic Park would have liked. When it finally broke in his favour, Baur’s relief was obvious. The move gives him the platform he has been chasing; now he has to prove he belongs on it.
He might not have to wait long for a first taste of it in green and white. Baur could make his debut as early as Saturday in the League Cup tie against Dundee United, a more modest backdrop than a Champions League play-off, but a crucial first audition in front of his new crowd.
What to Expect from Baur
So what exactly are Celtic fans getting?
“I'm really good on the ball,” he said, offering a straightforward assessment of his strengths. That’s only part of the picture, though. Baur stressed how his game has rounded out over the past year, particularly when he doesn’t have possession.
“I think I developed myself and my game off the ball last season. So, I'm running a lot, I'm fighting, but I want to be a playmaker, I want the ball at my feet.”
Celtic’s coaches, he knows, will demand both sides of that profile: the graft and the craft. He insists he is ready to deliver.
“That's what they expect from me and that's what you guys can also expect – that I try my best and leave my heart on the field every time.”
The Champions League stage will come soon enough. For Baur, the real test starts the moment he steps onto a Scottish pitch and tries to turn those words into the kind of performances that keep the European spotlight shining his way.
