Jurgen Klopp Praises Mika Baur's Celtic Move and Germany Call-Up

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 has been handed his maiden senior call-up in Klopp’s opening squad, a sprawling 44-man selection split across two groups as the former Liverpool manager tears up the old template and starts again.

Baur has been named in the second of those squads, the one scheduled to face Serbia and Greece, and will join up with the national set-up from September 28. For a player who only arrived in Glasgow in the summer, it is a rapid rise.

Klopp’s backing for a brave decision

Klopp has already made it clear he likes more than just Baur’s football. He likes the decision-making.

Speaking to STV Sport, the Germany boss revealed he had spoken with the midfielder about his move from the Bundesliga to Celtic and the demands that come with it.

“I consider him really exciting,” Klopp said. “He’s absolutely up for it. We also spoke on the phone about the weather in Glasgow – something I know well from Liverpool. With this move, he’s taken on a very challenging step.”

A young German leaving a newly-promoted Bundesliga side, Paderborn, where he had been almost ever-present in their successful 2025/26 campaign, to test himself in the intensity of Glasgow and the expectation of Celtic? Klopp clearly sees that as the kind of mentality he wants in his new Germany.

From Paderborn to Parkhead

Celtic paid around £6 million to bring Baur from Paderborn in the summer, a fee that raised eyebrows in some quarters but now looks increasingly shrewd.

Under Martin O’Neill, Baur has wasted no time making himself central to Celtic’s plans. He has already forced his way ahead of experienced summer signing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the starting XI, a significant marker for a 22-year-old arriving in a new league, a new culture and, as Klopp joked, a very familiar climate.

His impact has been tangible. Earlier this month, he was named man of the match after scoring the winner against St Johnstone, the sort of decisive contribution that instantly endears a midfielder to the Celtic support. He then went the full 90 minutes in the 3-0 Glasgow Derby defeat at Ibrox – a bruising introduction to the city’s fiercest fixture, but also an early lesson in the standards demanded at the club.

From youth prospect to senior stage

Baur is not a complete unknown in the German system. He has already represented his country at under-21 level, sharing a dressing room with Said El Mala, Finn Jeltsch and Brajan Gruda. All three of those players have also been called up by Klopp this time, a clear indication that the new national coach is prepared to lean on a generation he believes can reshape Germany’s future.

The scale of the 44-player group underlines that this is a broad audition, but Baur’s inclusion stands out. A few months ago he was preparing for another season with a newly-promoted Paderborn side. Now he is at Celtic, a key figure under O’Neill, and on the brink of a senior international debut.

Joining a select Celtic-Germany club

If Baur does step onto the pitch for Germany in the coming fixtures, he will join a small but notable group of German internationals who have worn the green and white of Celtic. Andreas Thom and Andreas Hinkel both bridged that divide in previous eras; Baur now has the chance to add his name to that list.

For Klopp, it is a calculated bet on a player willing to leave his comfort zone. For Celtic, it is early vindication of a summer investment. For Baur, it is the kind of opportunity that can change the trajectory of a career.

The question now is simple: how far can this “really exciting” midfielder push himself – and how quickly will Germany and Celtic reap the rewards of his challenging step to Glasgow?