Amid the headline-grabbing heroics of Camilo Duran, it was perhaps somewhat lost that Mika Baur enjoyed a positive outing on his full Celtic debut on Wednesday night.

The 22-year-old had previously caught the eye with his deft flick in the build-up to Benjamin Nygren's strike at Tannadice, with it not exactly taking long for Hoops supporters to warm to the diminutive German.

Sometimes, even if early impressions can be deceiving, it doesn't require much for a new signing to impress, with Baur's technical quality shining through already following his arrival from Paderborn.

He might not be the direct replacement for Arne Engels, but Martin O'Neill already looks on to a winner with this £6.8m investment.

Celtic have struck gold on Baur - but he's not the new Engels

There are big shoes to fill at Parkhead following the sale of Engels, the Belgian notably shining on his final outing for the club against Kilmarnock, having been such a force in that thumping win at Rugby Park.

O'Neill does boast a midfield unit blessed with experience and ball-playing ability, but Engels was the one with real mobility and athleticism, the man to eat up ground alongside the stable presence of Callum McGregor.

As Wednesday showcased, Baur appears more in line to be the replacement for Reo Hatate, rather than the direct successor to the new West Ham United man, with his game centred around silk rather than steel.

That's not to say he doesn't offer a sense of dynamism in midfield, regularly seen bursting back into position when Celtic were left exposed against LASK, but he's far from being a ball-winning powerhouse.

Indeed, he won just 50% of his duels and completed only one successful tackle, with the centre of the park left looking a little open at times, particularly in the early exchanges.

It was the other side of Baur's game that stood out, however, so neat and tidy in possession, weaving his way out of tight areas and seeking to get on the ball at every opportunity, having registered two key passes and recorded an 88% pass accuracy rate.

He will certainly ease the reliance on McGregor in that sense, yet if Celtic are to really make a play in Europe this season, they will need someone a little more combative to complement O'Neill's current crop.

Celtic's next midfield signing could be imminent

No one is counting their chickens as yet ahead of next week's return leg in Austria, but the decision to sell Engels before that Champions League clash may not have backfired as expected.

And yet, with the deadline looming, the Scottish champions do need to get a move on in terms of signing a replacement, with there still surely ample funds left in the transfer kitty.

Talk has been rife regarding a move for Torino's £9m-rated star, Gvidas Gineits, although a more realistic target might be Hajduk Split's Niko Sigur.

As per the Daily Record's Scott Burns, a move for the latter man is said to have 'advanced', with Sigur having his 'heart set' on making the move to Glasgow.

Formerly a target for Wilfried Nancy back in January, the 22-year-old could well finally make his move to Paradise, albeit with Celtic needing to bide their time amid his involvement in Split's Conference League qualification bid.

As reported previously, there is a confidence that a deal can be struck for a fee of around £4m, a relative snip considering what the Canadian can offer in a range of roles.

Regularly deployed at right-back, Sigur's preferred role is actually in central midfield, having shone in that position in Canada's World Cup clash with Morocco this summer.

In manager Jesse Marsch's view, he was the "best player on the pitch" for the tournament hosts, showcasing what he can do on the global stage.

In Baur's case, the playmaker wasn't even playing in the top flight of German football last term, having largely operated in the third tier prior to 2025/26.

As for Sigur, he's been shining at a level above in Croatia's top tier, proving a regular fixture for Split across the last three seasons or so.

In 2025/26, he did only rack up three goal involvements, below Baur's tally of nine, but he notably outperformed the Germany U21 international across a string of other metrics.

In possession, Sigur boasted a stellar 90% pass accuracy rate from his 24 starts, ahead of Baur's 84% average, while also bettering his midfield counterpart in terms of possession lost per game (7.2 vs 12.3).

Where the Canadian really excels is in terms of his off-the-ball work, having averaged 3.7 tackles and interceptions per game, as well as making 4.7 ball recoveries per game.

For comparison, Baur was no slouch himself in that regard, yet averaged just 2.4 and 4.3 for those same two metrics, respectively, having also made five errors leading to a shot, far more than Sigur's tally of one.

Considering what the £4m-rated man offers in terms of his versatility and adaptability, as well as what he's shown on the World Cup stage, it's hard not view him as the man who could actually fill Engels' void, rather than the undoubtedly eye-catching Baur.