Mika Baur Joins Celtic: Aiming for Champions League Glory

Mika Baur has barely set foot in Glasgow, but his sights are already fixed on the floodlights of the Champions League.

The 22-year-old midfielder has completed his move from German side Paderborn to Celtic and arrived in time to be involved in next week’s Champions League play-off against Austrian club LASK. The deal took longer than he would have liked, but once it finally went through, there was no doubt in his mind he had chosen the right stage.

“I think it's the best next step,” Baur said, speaking about the move. “It's a great club, it's a big club. You play in front of a big crowd, you're dominating the league.”

That is the lure: a club that expects to win at home and demands to compete in Europe. For Baur, the Champions League is not just a bonus, it is the point.

“You have the international games, the Champions League matches at night on the big stage. 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 German could get his first taste of competitive action in green and white as early as Saturday, with a potential debut in the League Cup tie against Dundee United. It would be a gentler introduction than a Champions League play-off, but Baur is not hiding from expectation. He is leaning into it.

He is clear about what kind of player Celtic supporters will see.

“I'm really good on the ball,” he said. “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.”

That mix of graft and guile is exactly what his new coaches are demanding.

“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 message is simple: he has come to Celtic to run games, not just run in them. The Champions League will soon reveal whether he is as ready as he believes.