Celtic’s Mika Baur Delay Asks One Big Question – Why Don’t Celtic Trust Themselves?

The longer this Mika Baur saga drags on, the more I find myself asking one simple question.

What exactly are Celtic waiting for?

Everything we’re hearing suggests the player wants the move. Personal terms are definitely not the problem.

The sticking point is the fee, with Celtic fannying around with bids marginally short of the £4-5 million mark Paderborn are asking for.

Meanwhile, Arne Engels looks increasingly likely to join West Ham.

And that’s where this starts to get me interested.

Because if Celtic genuinely believe Mika Baur is the right player, why does it feel like they need to sell before they can buy?

We’re not talking about a £20 million signing here. We’re talking about a deal that would barely leave a mark on the the club’s financial position. Celtic have healthy cash reserves and, if Engels leaves, another hefty transfer fee arriving shortly afterwards.

So what’s the hold up?

It feels like Celtic don’t fully trust their own judgement.

This is what happens when you’ve no recruitment department in place.

Think about it.

Because if your recruitment team has identified Mika Baur as the man to improve your squad, why hesitate over a difference of a few hundred thousand pounds? Why risk another club stepping in while you wait for paperwork on a separate transfer to be completed?

Ah, you don’t have such a team? Hmm.

We’ve seen it before. One player leaves, then the search begins. Another deal stalls because money from somewhere else hasn’t arrived yet.

Everything feels linked together instead of being part of one clear recruitment drive.

The best-run clubs are proactive. They don’t wait for dominoes to fall before making their move. They anticipate, they prepare and they act with the courage of their convictions.

Hopefully Baur still arrives, because by all accounts Celtic remain in negotiations with Paderborn and the player is still a priority target.

How good he is, I really don’t know, and either it seems, do Celtic’s hierarchy.

But if the delay is simply about waiting for the Engels money to clear first, then supporters are entitled to ask why a club of Celtic’s size appears so reluctant to back its own judgement over a transfer worth little more than £4 million.

Keep Your Eyes On The Board.