Mika Baur credits a mentality shift for his forthcoming £7 million transfer to Celtic.
The 22-year-old German midfielder will finalise his move from SC Paderborn following a successful season that helped the club secure promotion to the Bundesliga.
Baur, who faced challenges at Paderborn, hit a turning point during a loan spell at Dynamo Dresden. Upon his return, he became a crucial team member and attributes his turnaround to working with a mindset coach.
Baur 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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A managerial change at Paderborn, coupled with mental coaching, helped Baur 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 also learned to set boundaries and not dwell on mistakes, allowing him to focus on his next move.
Baur, who started his career at Freiburg’s academy, has always been ambitious. 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."
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