Jurgen Klopp Praises Mika Baur's Bold Celtic Move

Jurgen Klopp has wasted no time putting his stamp on Germany. Forty-four players, two separate squads, and right in the middle of that sprawling first selection sits a name few expected to see so soon: Mika Baur of Celtic.

The 22-year-old midfielder, barely settled into life in Glasgow after a summer move from Paderborn, has been handed his first senior international call-up. Not as a token gesture, not as a training partner, but as part of the group scheduled to face Serbia and Greece from September 28.

For Klopp, Baur’s decision to swap the Bundesliga for the intensity of Celtic feels like a marker of character as much as talent.

“I consider him really exciting. He’s absolutely up for it,” Klopp told STV Sport, revealing the pair had already spoken on the phone about the transfer and, inevitably, the weather in Glasgow – a subject he knows only too well from his Liverpool days. “With this move, he’s taken on a very challenging step.”

It is exactly that willingness to embrace the challenge that seems to have caught the new Germany boss’ eye. Baur left newly-promoted Paderborn in the summer for around £6 million after playing a central role in their successful 2025/26 campaign. Rather than consolidate his reputation in the Bundesliga, he chose the relentless expectation of Celtic, where every dropped point becomes a crisis and every performance is judged against the club’s history.

So far, he has not flinched.

Under Martin O’Neill, Baur has quickly become a key figure, his energy and composure in midfield pushing a far more established name to the fringes. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain arrived in Glasgow with Premier League pedigree and a bulging CV, but it is the younger man who has held the starting shirt in recent weeks.

Baur’s standout domestic moment came earlier this month, when he was named man of the match after scoring the winner against St Johnstone. It was the sort of performance that makes a new club feel like home: decisive, busy, and brimming with confidence.

He then experienced the other side of life at Celtic, completing the full 90 minutes in a bruising 3-0 Glasgow Derby defeat at Ibrox. No hiding place, no protection. Just the raw reality of one of football’s fiercest rivalries. For a Germany manager looking for players who can handle pressure, that kind of exposure matters.

Klopp’s First Squad List

Klopp’s first squad list underlines his intention to refresh and expand the national pool. Baur is joined by fellow former Germany under-21 internationals Said El Mala, Finn Jeltsch and Brajan Gruda, all promoted from the youth ranks into the senior setup. The message is clear: perform, show personality, and you will be noticed, no matter where you play.

Baur’s own pathway has followed that line. He built his reputation with Germany’s under-21s, then backed himself with a move outside his comfort zone. Now, that gamble has been rewarded.

If he makes his senior debut in the coming fixtures, he will step into a small but notable lineage. Only a handful of German internationals have worn the Celtic shirt, among them Andreas Thom and Andreas Hinkel. Both left their mark in Glasgow; both carried the club’s name back onto the international stage.

Baur now stands on the brink of joining that group, a Celtic midfielder at the heart of a new German era, his bold move north already paying off in the most emphatic way. The next question is simple: how far can he push this momentum?