Mika Baur's phone exploded when transfer guru Fabrizio Romano leaked his Celtic move to millions on X, but the 22-year-old midfielder says the three-week wait was worth it after finally completing a £6.8million switch from Paderborn.
Baur, who has signed a deal at Parkhead and been handed the number 22 shirt, revealed he was enjoying a quiet lunch with his girlfriend when Romano's post sent his phone into meltdown.
Phone Meltdown After Romano Leak
Asked if Romano's tweet caused chaos, Baur laughed: "Yeah, it did. I just went to lunch with my girlfriend. I follow him, so I saw it on his Instagram and then my phone was ringing all the time!"
The German playmaker admitted the initial contact came weeks before, but the deal was far from certain until Paderborn eventually accepted Celtic's offer.
"The first call or the first meeting was a couple of weeks before, but it was not like, okay, it will happen," he said. "It was the first call, it was the first meeting. But then during the weeks until the post of him, it was getting closer and closer."
Delighted to Finally Arrive
Baur is now thrilled to be in Glasgow, having completed two training sessions with his new teammates.
"It has been a long time now. It was ups and downs, but I think at the end everyone did an incredible job that it's finally done and it can happen," he said. "It's great that it's finally over the line. I had two training sessions with the team, so it feels incredible."
The midfielder is well aware of Celtic's stature, saying: "I think everybody knows about Celtic, about the size of the club, about the crowd, about the Champions League nights, about how the style of playing football is here. At the first I heard of it, I was like, I want to do that. So yeah, just positive."
Kuhn's Advice and European Dreams
Baur shares the same agent as former Celtic hero Nicolas Kuhn, and he picked the brains of the winger, who joined Como last summer, about life in Glasgow.
"Nicolas said, 'Everyone is so nice, everyone is helping you to feel comfortable. Also here in the club, everyone wants you to feel good, to feel happy. Also your family,'" Baur revealed. "I think he had a great time here. That's what he just told me."
Kuhn was sensational in his one full season at Parkhead, scoring twice against RB Leipzig and netting away to Bayern Munich in the Champions League knockouts. Baur hopes to replicate those heroics if Celtic can get past PAOK.
"I watched the matches of Nicolas. I know that he did good against the German teams," he said. "Let's qualify and play again in Germany. Why not? I've never experienced something like that before. I'm really looking forward to Wednesday. Everyone is telling me it will be great. It will be a big night. We'll see on Monday."
International Ambitions and Settling In
Baur has represented Germany at every youth level up to Under-21s and dreams of a senior call-up, believing Celtic can provide the platform.
"Why not? Yeah, why not? It's a big stage, so we'll see," he said. "Would it be my ultimate dream? Yeah, for sure, to represent your country. For now, I'm looking forward to getting a good time here. And then under-21 European Championship is next year. I'm a guy that looks really step by step and not the big thing yet."
Having climbed through the lower leagues in Germany, Baur is ready for the step up. "Yeah, it was really step by step. I played in Freiburg in the youth, so it was a high level," he said. "Then it was the third division to the second division, then I had a tough year where I really learned a lot. I was 17 when I did my first experience in the third division. I'm not quite sure, but over 80 or 90 matches. It's a really tough league too. Big guys, many in fights. It's part of the game to develop in terms of physical and everything."
Baur won't be settling in alone, as his girlfriend Emma and their dog Karl are joining him in Glasgow. "Yeah, they will. My girlfriend is still here - or is here with me now at the moment. We're looking for an apartment and feel comfortable," he said. "Then we take our dog from Germany to here. Our little dog is like our child at the moment!"
