Celtic officially confirmed the signing of central midfielder Mika Baur from Paderborn as their latest addition of the summer transfer window on Thursday.
The Germany U21 international has been brought in for a fee up to £6.8m to bolster Martin O’Neill‘s options in the middle of the park, days after the club also signed winger Haissem Hassan in a deal worth up to £9m.
There cannot be any accusations of penny-pinching at Paradise this summer, as the board have backed the manager with several big-money recruits, including £11m-rated striker Kasper Hogh.
A chunk of that outlay, though, looks set to be recouped with the £22m sale of Arne Engels to West Ham United, should he pass a medical and other formalities.
Where Mika Baur will fit in at Celtic
The Belgium international’s expected departure from Parkhead will open the door for new signing Baur to slot straight into the starting line-up in midfield.
Engels started this season alongside Callum McGregor in the engine room, with Benjamin Nygren ahead of them in the number ten position, and he produced one assist in two Scottish Premiership games.
Baur’s form for Paderborn in the 2. Bundesliga in the 2025/26 campaign suggests that he could take the Belgian’s place in the side by offering a threat at the top end of the pitch.
|
25/26 season |
Engels (Premiership) |
Baur (2. Bundesliga) |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
30 |
33 |
|
xG |
5.11 |
3.17 |
|
Goals |
5 |
4 |
|
xA |
4.43 |
4.65 |
|
Assists |
3 |
5 |
|
Dribble success rate |
36% |
36% |
Like Engels, the 22-year-old star can offer quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals from a central midfield role, which means that he can get forward to support the attack when needed.
Therefore, Baur could come straight into the starting line-up for Celtic and play as the central midfielder tasked with supporting the forward players, whilst McGregor sits back to dictate the game.
Mika Baur will love star who wants to sign for Celtic
Now, the German talent will be delighted if the club sign another one of their midfield targets who would be a dream partner for the £6.8m-rated star.
The agent of Hibernian central midfielder Miguel Chaiwa, Boudjemai Youcef, has revealed how much Celtic will have to pay to see a bid accepted for his client.
Speaking to CeltsAreHere, Youcef claimed that for “£3 million, he can go to Celtic” before the end of the summer transfer window, outlining how much the club could have an offer accepted for.
The report, meanwhile, adds that the player is keen on making the move and that the Hoops made approaches for him in January and in May, but they have yet to re-enter talks with Hibs.
Celtic, now, should swoop in with an offer of £3m to sign the Zambia international after their earlier moves for him, because he could be a bargain addition to the squad.
Chaiwa would also be the dream signing to make after bringing Baur in because of the defensive qualities that he can offer O’Neill in the middle of the park at Premiership level.
| 25/26 Premiership | Chaiwa per 90 | Rank vs DMs |
|---|---|---|
| Duels won | 6.69 | Top 15% |
| Duel success rate | 55.6% | Top 29% |
| Aerial duels won | 1.24 | Top 45% |
| Possession won in final third | 0.38 | Top 39% |
| Fouls won | 3.20 | Top 1% |
| Interceptions | 1.19 | Top 28% |
| Ball recoveries | 5.16 | Top 42% |
The Zambian star is a proven Premiership powerhouse who can be a dominant operator at the base of the midfield, as evidenced by his rank among players in his position last season.
He is the kind of midfielder who can sit in front of the back four and cut out opposition attacks to win possession back for the team, allowing the more talented attacking players to make a difference at the other end of the pitch.
Chaiwa ranked in the top 39% of midfielders for possession won in the final third per 90 (0.38) last term, which shows that he is also an excellent presser who can go and hunt the ball back high up the pitch.
Baur would love the 22-year-old star, who only scored one goal last season, because he is the type of number six who can do the dirty work off the ball to allow the German to focus on getting forward to support the attack.
Chaiwa can offer physicality and mobility in midfield, either alongside McGregor or as an alternative to the skipper, and that would mean that Baur does not have to expunge as much energy defensively, which could make him more effective offensively.
For the price of £3m, therefore, this is a deal that could make a lot of sense for Celtic so that they have a natural defensive midfield option at their disposal to complement their more attack-minded players in the middle of the park.
