Klopp Praises Exciting Baur as Celtic Midfielder Earns Germany Call
Jurgen Klopp has wasted no time putting his stamp on Germany – and Mika Baur is one of the first big statements.
The 22-year-old Celtic midfielder, barely settled into life in Glasgow, has been handed his maiden senior call-up in Klopp’s first squad, a sprawling 44-man selection split across two groups. It is a bold move from the new national coach, and a clear message that form and ambition will be rewarded, wherever it’s found.
A Glasgow gamble that caught Klopp’s eye
Baur only arrived at Celtic in the summer, a £6 million signing from newly-promoted Bundesliga side Paderborn after playing a central role in their successful 2025/26 campaign. He could easily have stayed in Germany, in familiar surroundings, with the Bundesliga spotlight on his doorstep.
He chose Glasgow instead. Chose the pressure of Celtic Park, the demands of a support that expects trophies, and the intensity of a league where every dropped point is a crisis.
Klopp likes that.
“I consider him really exciting,” he told STV Sport, revealing that the pair had already spoken about the move and even shared a joke about the Glasgow weather – something Klopp knows only too well from his Liverpool days. “He’s absolutely up for it. With this move, he’s taken on a very challenging step.”
That step is already paying off.
Making himself at home at Celtic
Under Martin O’Neill, Baur has not eased his way into the team. He has forced his way in. The German has quickly become a key figure in midfield, to the point where he has recently kept experienced summer arrival Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain out of the starting XI.
There was an early marker: man of the match and the decisive goal against St Johnstone earlier this month, a performance that showcased his energy and composure in the final third. Then came the other side of Glasgow life – a full 90 minutes in Celtic’s 3-0 Glasgow Derby defeat at Ibrox. No hiding place, no gentle introduction. Just the raw reality of Scottish football’s fiercest fixture.
For a new signing, and a young one at that, it is a rapid education. Klopp clearly believes Baur is learning fast.
Germany door opens under Klopp
In his first squad as national coach, Klopp has opted for scale. Forty-four players, divided into two groups. The first will face the Netherlands and Greece. The second, which includes Baur, is scheduled to take on Serbia and Greece, with the Celtic midfielder due to link up with the set-up from September 28.
It is not just a nod to the future. It is a test. A chance to see who can carry club form onto the international stage, who can handle the shift in tempo and expectation.
Baur arrives with a solid youth pedigree. He has represented Germany at under-21 level alongside Said El Mala, Finn Jeltsch and Brajan Gruda – all three also called up by Klopp this time. The old generation is not being swept aside, but the new one is being invited in, and invited in early.
Following a rare Celtic–Germany path
If Baur steps onto the pitch for Germany, he will join a small and distinctive group. Only a handful of German internationals have worn the green and white of Celtic, among them Andreas Thom and Andreas Hinkel. Both carved out their own place in the club’s history; Baur now has the chance to add his name to that list.
For Celtic, his elevation underlines the scale of the signing. For Baur, it is validation that leaving the comfort of home for the wind and rain of Glasgow was not a romantic detour, but a career-defining decision.
The question now is simple: having taken the challenging step Klopp admires so much, how far can Mika Baur climb from here?
