By Louis Nixon

West Ham United have sent out Callum Marshall to Bochum on loan until the end of the 2025/26 season.

The newest signings, Pablo and Taty, removed the chance for Marshall to receive any game time, so it made the most sense for the youth prospect to go out on loan. However, despite the decision being a logical one, I’m personally fearful about the club he is joining. 

Bochum doesn’t have the greatest track record for youth players, and given their current attacking situation, it’s slightly questionable to see where Marshall will get game time and how often he’ll be brought on in his correct and preferred position. 

I would certainly agree that Bochum is a better loan than an English League One side, as the Bundesliga is very quick in either division, it’s got pace, and, albeit in Bundesliga 2, the Football is still similar. 

On this loan spell, Callum Marshall needs to have a good spell for a few months in Germany, scoring goals and helping the team as he did at Huddersfield.

Last loan, it took him a while to be able to get into his grove but once he found the sweet spot, he would be on good form for the remainder. Some people may question the stats he achieved at Huddersfield, but the majority of fans were keen on signing him full-time, which tells you all you need to know. 

In summary, I believe that the Bochum move is a good choice, but it all depends on the game time he receives. If it is consistent, then I would call it a successful loan move, but if he’s a rotation player who gets the odd 20 minutes here and there, that would be brutal.