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Fullname: Moritz Bauer
aka: –
Born: 25 Jan 1992
Birthplace: Winterthur, Switzerland
Signed: 28 Aug 2019 (1 season loan from Stoke)
Left: –
Position: Defender, Right-back
Debut: TheRangers 0-2 Celtic, SP
Squad No.: 13
Internationals: Austria (but played for Switzerland upto U21s)
International Caps: 6
International Goals: 0
Biog
| “He came in and he came on at Ibrox and you thought he looked a solid choice for right-back. I don’t think he’s really set the heather alight.” Ex-Celt Mark Wilson on Moritz Bauer (Apr 2020) |
A surprise signing in August 2019, with Celtic needing backup for the recently acquired Hatem Elhamed who was beginning to concern the club with injuries. Celtic youth player Tony Ralston was thought to be not yet wholly ready, and the more vociferous supporters were demanding for transfers in, so Moritz Bauer (out of nowhere) was brought in on loan for a season to help Celtic reach the coveted nine league titles in a row. The first team had recently just got embarrassingly knocked out by CFR Kluj in the European Cup, and so a shake up was needed especially in defence.
Subbed on for his debut match v Sevco only a few days after signing, he gave a good performance in a fine 2-0 win for Celtic, that set all up well for the start of the season. Sevco’s Jordan Jones was sent off for a horror tackle on Bauer towards the end of the match, but it was Jordan Jones who went off with a serious knee injury.
However, despite coming in as supposedly a prime player, he was quickly upstaged by permanent signing Hatem Abd Elhamed, but even after Elhamed was out injured, Moritz Bauer wasn’t the next choice pick. No player is going to be world class after sitting on the bench much of the season, and in fairness Bauer had not played in the poorer defeats in the season. He played in the 3-1 victory over Rennes in the Europa league which was key, and showed his worth.
Moritz Bauer was a fair right-back, no major calamities, but he never proved himself to be anything special. He had pace, he could tackle and appeared to be professional on the pitch. He was solid defensively but could have been better on the ball. Celtic had others that could be relied on. Moritz Bauer was dependable but with the surprising rise of the increasingly popular Frimpong, Moritz Bauer was upstaged by the youngster and put further back in the queue. In general, permanent contract players were always going to get the nod ahead of on-loan players.
It must be added that Celtic actually only lost one game in which Moritz Bauer played in, which was a 2-0 away loss to CJR Cluj in the Europa League. However, this was a dead-rubber game with some second team players sent out to play in a month when Celtic had a very heavy schedule. The first team had already qualified top of the group to the next round for the first time. The irony is that Moritz Bauer was brought in to Celtic on the back of an earlier defeat to CJR Cluj.
He never got to play in the matches to the League Cup title that won Celtic their tenth title in a row, and he only played in an early round victory over Clyde in the Scottish Cup. Celtic were chasing for an unprecedented fourth Treble in a row. A great time to be at the club, managed by Neil Lennon who was in his first full season on return to Celtic as manager for a second stint. It was a topsy turvy season but Celtic rode it out.
Maybe as a Premier League player, Moritz Bauer’s value & ability was over-rated. Elhamed was more popular & rated on the pitch for his performances at Celtic. Other loan players such as Elyounassi were far higher quality and put Bauer into the shade. Moritz Bauer was to be mostly sidelined. For an estimated £5m price-tag, it was very unlikely at Celtic to ever be converted, and in truth it was never proposed by the general support.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in around March 2020, all matches stopped, and his time at Celtic was effectively over, ending any last chances to turn it all around at Celtic.
The Celtic support had seen similar beforehand, for example with Toljan: fair players whose ratings are overblown in part due to the parent club they come from rather than due to the actual proven ability of the player on the pitch. He clearly wasn’t worth his price tag.
He remarked honestly to one tabloid:
“It was an exciting experience for me at Celtic, even if it went bitterly for me. Losing my place wasn’t down to my performances. I understand what happened because Celtic are building the experience of a younger player. When the new season starts at Stoke, I now have the chance to get people talking again about me with my performances.”
How he was going to do any of the above whilst playing for unfashionable Stoke FC was anyone’s guess.
He admitted he had aimed to play around 50 games at Celtic, but he didn’t come close. It was his choice ultimately to come to Celtic, and there’s no guarantees he’d have done any better elsewhere. At least at Celtic, he got a variety of challenges (both domestic & European matches) and that is a great development experience.
He likely summarised it all best & fairly when he said:
“It has not been a bad season for me, but also not satisfactory either.”
Regardless, he was going to leave Celtic with the best wishes of all, especially as he had helped Celtic to the league title, and the glorious nine-in-a-row league titles.
Post-Celtic
After Celtic he was loaned out to FC Ufa in Russia and then signed for them on a permanent deal. Following the Covid situation and then the growing tensions between Russia and the EU & Ukraine, he moved back to Switzerland to play for Servette, although he had little played for FC Ufa. His national side, Austria, mostly cut him out too.
It all reflected his lack of success in reaching the heights. Clear that Celtic made the right football decision to not retain him, especially as Frimpong developed & was sold for a stellar amount, and was then hunted by a number of blue-chip clubs around Europe.
[…]
Quotes
“It was an exciting experience for me at Celtic, even if it went bitterly for me. Losing my place wasn’t down to my performances. I understand what happened because Celtic are building the experience of a younger player. When the new season starts at Stoke, I now have the chance to get people talking again about me with my performances.”
Moritz Bauer (2020)
“It has not been a bad season for me, but also not satisfactory either.”
Moritz Bauer (2020)
Playing Career
| APPEARANCES (subs) |
LEAGUE | SCOTTISH CUP | LEAGUE CUP | EUROPE | TOTAL |
| 2019-20 | 6(3) | 1 (0) | 0 | 2 (1) | 9 (4) |
| Goals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 6(3) | 1 (0) | 0 | 2 (1) | 0 |
| Goals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Honours with Celtic
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Articles
Moritz Bauer: The RFPL’s latest export to England
January 9, 2018 by David SansunLeave a CommentMoritz
Moritz Bauer: The RFPL’s latest export to England
January 9, 2018 by David Sansun
Leave a Comment
Moritz Bauer has become the most recent RFPL export to the English Premier League, moving from Rubin Kazan to pastures new with currently-managerless Stoke City. The Austrian put pen to paper on a 4.5-year contract, in an undisclosed deal we understand to be as high as €6 million.
Bauer joined Rubin in the summer of 2016, the first signing made under the management of Javi Gracia in a summer where the club ended up spending €40m in total, and around €4 million of that was on Bauer. A right back, he quickly established himself as first choice in his favoured position for Rubin and soon became a fan favourite thanks to his confident and impressive performances, picking up four assists in his first ten appearances for the club.
Since then, Bauer has rarely been out of the Rubin side, and his performances have seen him earn international recognition, picking up four caps for Austria, the nationality of his parents despite being born in Switzerland, in which he has caught the eye of the fans and pundits alike.
To top things off, Bauer was voted Rubin’s player of the year for 2017, highlighting just how far he has come and that despite poor defensive performances from the team as a whole, Bauer’s strong performances and hard working attitude made him stand out as consistent performer on a regular basis, arguably establishing himself as one of the leagues top three right backs, along with Mario Fernandes of CSKA Moscow, and Igor Smolnikov of Zenit St. Petersburg.
Bauer in action for Rubin Kazan during the 2016/17 season. Photo: Rubin-kazan.ru
The Austrian’s style of play is marked by a number of qualities which should help him adapt well to English football and Stoke in particular. As a right back, Bauer has a combination of excellent speed, strong technical ability, even in tight spaces, and a powerful attacking mentality which see’s the Austrian roam forward at any opportunity to put his excellent crossing to use. He also has a mean long throw in. Bauer is a very clever individual as you will soon find out, and so while he can often lack in his defensive positioning – sometimes making up for it with his pace – he does have the mental ability to learn, adapt and improve himself under the experienced coaches of the Premier League.
Off the pitch, Bauer is one of the most interesting personalities in football and has hobbies that most footballers wouldn’t even think of doing. Perhaps most notably, he is a qualified pilot and regularly flies propeller aeroplanes during his breaks from football. He can also play the piano and is a polyglot, speaking five languages; French, German, English, Spanish and a basic level of Russian, which due to picking up quickly by living with a Russian family, made him a big favourite among Rubin fans.
Bauer’s departure from Rubin is a forced departure, and the club and fans alike would both prefer to keep hold of their favourite player, but due to their poor financial situation, Rubin asked all but four of their foreign players to find a new club, Bauer being the first to do so.
Rubin’s fans will miss him greatly, and when rumours of his departure began to surface, a number of fans commented on the Rubin Hoods supporter group on Russian social network VK and the general theme was of great sadness and regret, though some comments stand out to paint a picture of just how endeared he was:
“Good luck Moritz, no questions to you, always gave everything to the field!” – Artem Rubinov
“Moritz, I can only wish you good luck in your new club, though I would prefer that you did not leave!” – Sergey Krymsky
“Moritz is worthy of the Premier League, good luck!” – Igor Potapov
With the more recent transfers from Russia to England not panning out so well – Oumar Niasse, Ahmed Musa, Ragnar Sigurdsson and Yohan Mollo – Bauer will be hoping to break the mould and help his new club in what looks to be a relegation battle for the second half of the season. Having come to learn what Bauer is like as a person and player, there is a general acceptance among the fans that Bauer has the ability to cope with Premier League football, though only time will tell.
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Author: David Sansun
Arsenal and Rubin Kazan fan. Possibly too optimistic for Russian football which means I’m left disappointed a lot.
Moritz Bauer signs for Celtic on season-long loan
CELTIC Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of Moritz Bauer from Stoke City on a season-long loan with an option to buy at the end of the term. Moritz, a Swiss-born Austrian internationalist first broke through in Zurich with Grasshoppers before joining Rubin Kazan in Russia in 2016, prior to signing for Stoke in 2018. The 27-year-old right-back said: “I’m really, really looking forward to it. I know about the stadium, the historical Celtic Park, and I hope that I can win trophies here and have a very successful season. “It’s a massive club with a big history and when you see the stadium from the outside and the players there who have already worn the jersey – they are big names.” He added: “I love being here and having the target of being first as I like that pressure. There are players here who have already won titles, and it’s a big opportunity for me to learn from them and grow as a player as I hope to be part of a successful team.”
Celtic urged to forget about signing £5m ace this Summer
By Tom McNeil 12 April, 2020 No Comments
We still don’t know how Celtic’s finances will look once the current crisis is over, but you have to imagine they will need to be slightly more frugal in the transfer market for a couple of seasons.
That’s not to say they shouldn’t spend any money at all, but any funds should be directed towards improving the first team and not signing players who will barely see the field.
Moritz Bauer arrived in the Summer and looked like a real contender to take over the right back spot, but at worst it appeared he would rotate with Hatem Abd Elhamed.
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That was before we knew what Jeremie Frimpong was capable of, so he’s really seen as third choice just now. He’s only on loan from the English side, and you would think a permanent move seems unlikely.
The Stoke Sentinel picked up on some comments from former Celt Mark Wilson about Bauer’s future, and it sounds like he doesn’t see the need for the permanent transfer either:
“He came in and he came on at Ibrox and you thought he looked a solid choice for right-back. I don’t think he’s really set the heather alight.”
“I think to be a Celtic full-back you need to be very comfortable on the ball and you need to be attacking minded and I think Bauer looks solid enough defensively but maybe not as much on the ball which you would like a full-back to be in the modern game.”
“He’s certainly got a tool with that long throw of his but I think for £5m when you’ve got Frimpong there it wouldn’t be in the club’s best interest to keep him past his loan deal.”
Who knows how accurate that £5m price tag is, but it’s very difficult to make the case for signing him if it’s true. Yes he’s versatile and perhaps it could make sense if a big offer comes in for Frimpong, but it looks like he will need to fight for a place at Stoke or look for a new team this Summer.
Celtic’s Moritz Bauer admits Euro 2020 dream could be ended due to Jeremie Frimpong’s form
Mark Walker
12 Feb 2020, 9:51Updated: 12 Feb 2020, 9:55
CELTIC defender Moritz Bauer admits his Euro 2020 dream could be ended because of the form of Hoops kid Jeremie Frimpong.
The Austrian international joined Celtic on loan from Stoke City with the hope of getting enough games to force his way back into the international scene ahead of the European Championships.
Moritz Bauer has struggled for game time due to the form of Jeremie Frimpong
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Moritz Bauer has struggled for game time due to the form of Jeremie FrimpongCredit: Kenny Ramsay – The Sun Glasgow
But he’s only started six league games for the Hoops and admits time is running out for his hopes of playing in the Finals, with Austria set to play Netherlands, Ukraine and a play-off winner in Amsterdam and Bucharest.
He said: “My initial aim was to play around 50 competitive games, but it will be significantly less because the club is pushing a young talent in my full-back position.
“It has not been a bad season for me, but also not satisfactory either.
“It is clear to me that I am not holding the best hand to get into the Austria squad for the Euro 2020 Finals and that time is not on my side.”
But the 28-year-old insists he’s enjoying his time in Glasgow and reckons Parkhead has a better atmosphere than Anfield – home of English champions-elect Liverpool.
He said: “We are determined to win the next two titles which would make it ten-in-a-row and that would be special because it’s never been done before.
“The home games at Celtic Park are special. I would compare the atmosphere to Anfield, only it is even bigger here with 60,000 fans.”
Meanwhile Odsonne Edouard dreams of one day becoming the best striker in the world.
The Hoops hitman who picked up his second Player of the Month award of the season, also insists he’s flattered at comparisons to Moussa Dembele and Henrik Larsson.
Frenchman Edouard has hit 24 goals this season and will be aiming to add to his Celtic tally against Hearts tonight.
He said: “Of course, it’s very flattering for me to be compared to players from the past — but I try not to listen too much to that.
“Henrik Larsson is a Celtic legend. When I was little he was one of the best players in Europe so it’s amazing some people compare me to him.
“I don’t know what the future holds, but I want to try to become one of the best strikers in the world.
“Today I’m at Celtic, I’ve got two years left on my contract, I’m very happy here in Glasgow. I’m enjoying myself.
“I’m more focused on the five months left this season and the three trophies we are competing for.”