Callum Marshall left West Ham United for a loan spell at VFL Bochum hoping to spark a promotion charge. Instead, fears of relegation are growing as his goal drought worsens at the Bundesliga.2 outfit.
And for the first time since arriving in Germany during the January transfer window, questions are starting to be asked of the Northern Ireland international.
Callum Marshall, a fairly prolific goalscorer with West Ham United at Under-21 level, lasted just an hour during what was his ‘weakest’ performance so far during the 2-1 defeat by Fortuna Dusseldorf last time out.
Which West Ham starlet do YOU have the highest hopes for?
Joel Kerr has to be right up there…
To think, Marshall made an ‘exceptional’ first impression at Bochum. Two months, seven games and one goal later, that early excitement threatens to descend into exasperation.
West Ham United loanee Callum Marshall may be dropped by Bochum
According to BILD, the former West Brom and Huddersfield Town loanee had his ‘weakest game in Dusseldorf’.
Failing to find the net in six second-tier games since his debut strike in the 3-3 draw with Paderborn, head coach Uwe Rosler now has very little room for manoeuvre as the gap between Bochum and the bottom three is cut to just four points.
Marshall touched the ball only 18 times and failed to even register a shot before his 61st minute withdrawal at the Merkur Spiel-Arena last weekend.
“We started the game well and immediately had a great chance. After that, we couldn’t get down the wings properly,” said Rosler, who partially explains Marshall’s lack of involvement by rueing a dearth of quality out wide.
“We lacked the energy and the stamina. Fortuna did exactly what we expected.
“The first half was timid, weak, and lacking in energy. I selected and prepared the team. I take full responsibility.”
While the youngster can point to a lack of service, questions will inevitably be asked now about a striker who has mustered just eight shots from inside the penalty area in seven Bundesliga.2 outings.
Optimist or Realist? Share your number and defend it in the comments
Marshall is not fulfilling Uwe Rosler’s pressing principles
Former Wigan, Brentford and Leeds coach Rosler highlighted Marshall’s ‘pressing’ ability when discussing the reasoning behind his arrival back in January. The West Ham kid even earned comparisons to Jamie Vardy during pre-season, showcasing his fierce work ethic and his willingness to harass opposition defenders out of possession.
But, as WAZ explain, Marshall was unable to fulfil the defensive side of his game against Fortuna while also offering very little in possession. All this points to a place among the substitutes when Bochum face promotion-seeking Kaiserslautern this weekend.
“Without the on-loan Bayer Leverkusen player [midfielder Francis Onyeka], VfL Bochum’s pressing game simply doesn’t work,” WAZ write. “Callum Marshall was unable to fill that role and will likely start on the bench again against Kaiserslautern.”
Marshall is not ruling out leaving West Ham and joining Bochum permanently in the summer.
In order to make that a realistic possibility, though, the 21-year-old from County Antrim could do with rediscovering the finesse and the form displayed in a fine debut goal against Paderborn six games ago.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
