Mika Baur has revealed how a mentality shift helped secure his £7 million transfer to Celtic.
The 22-year-old German midfielder is set to finalise his move from SC Paderborn after a successful season contributed to the club's promotion to the Bundesliga.
Initially facing challenges at Paderborn, Baur's loan stint at Dynamo Dresden allowed him to recalibrate and return as a key team member.
The Germany Under-21 international credits his turnaround to working with a mindset coach after a tough start at the club. He said: "At that time, a lot of things weren’t right.
"Things weren’t going well on the pitch and weren’t good between the players, either. Promises made during our discussions weren’t kept. That’s when I first really doubted myself, and it chipped away at my self-confidence.
"Suddenly, I wasn’t the Mika I knew any longer."
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Baur explained that a managerial change at Paderborn, a fresh beginning, and mental coaching helped him regain his confidence. He said: "Then a new coach came in at Paderborn, who said that everyone would start from scratch.
"I got a new shirt number and started working with a mental coach. It wasn’t like everything changed on July 1. It was a process.
"But the foundation was different. I smiled more."
He elaborated on how he learned to set boundaries and not dwell on mistakes, which allowed him to focus on his next move.
Baur, who started his career in Freiburg’s academy, has always been driven by ambition. He said: "It’s rare for someone from Freiburg’s youth academy to skip the Under-23s.
"I knew I could use that opportunity to put myself forward for the first team.
"In my last year in Freiburg, I trained with the senior team quite often, and even made the squad a few times."
