‘Exceptional’ Callum Marshall is making quite the first impression it seems after leaving West Ham United and the fringes of the Premier League for a loan spell in Germany with VFL Bochum.
Three months after Nuno Espirito Santo handed Marshall a first-team debut in that 2-0 defeat at Arsenal, the Northern Ireland international crosses the Channel in an attempt to secure more regular minutes.
And, of course, a potential seat on the plane for the 2026 World Cup should Northern Ireland bloody Italy’s nose in March.
2.Bundesliga outfit Bochum fought off much competition to secure the services of a striker who scored ten times in his most recent loan stint, with Huddersfield Town in England’s third tier.
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His task, now, will be to fire Bochum out of mid-table mediocrity and up towards the promotion spots.
And confidence is high in North Rhine-Westphalia that Callum Marshall – who would surely have played a part in Saturday’s FA Cup meeting with QPR had he stayed put – has the tools to do just that.
West Ham United loanee Callum Marshall makes a fine first impression at VFL Bochum
Kevin Keen, West Ham’s lead professional development phase coach, told The Standard shortly after that Emirates cameo that there are shades of a young Harry Kane in Marshall.
The way he rattled finish after finish into the back of the net during his first training session with his new Bochum teammates, meanwhile, certainly has boss Uwe Rosler looking towards the second half of the campaign with a great deal of optimism.
“He can play as a number nine but also as part of a two-striker formation or on the wing,” Rosler, the Manchester City icon who coached Leeds and Brentford in the 2010s, told WAZ on Thursday.
“He’s very strong in pressing, which will help us.”
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That work rate did not go unnoticed during an impressive pre-season. Some West Ham fans drew comparisons with Jamie Vardy, after all.
Marshall scored a stunning goal against Grasshopper Zurich over the summer, and has gone on to net a further six in eight games for the Hammers’ Under-21s.
“He established himself at Huddersfield in League One. The top of the English third division is comparable to the second division in Germany,” Rosler adds, speaking from experience.
“He’s a different type of player than [our existing forwards]. With Callum Marshall, we have more flexibility in attack. The first impression is very good.”
Former Huddersfield and West Brom loanee demonstrates ‘exceptional quality’
You can say that again.
In fact, to quote WAZ, Marshall looked like a young man with ‘exceptional quality’ as he took to the training pitch for the very first time. As you would expect given that he arrives having averaged a goal every 114 minutes for West Ham’s reserve team, the Glengormley-born 21-year-old strikes the ball with ‘power and precision’ on that ‘powerful left foot’.
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As a natural southpaw, Marshall was likened to Atletico Madrid superstar Julian Alvarez too on the other side of Christmas.
“With his powerful left foot, he hammered or curled the ball into the net four out of five times,” WAZ add, offering a peek behind the curtain on Marshall’s unveiling. “That was by far the best success rate during the attacking players’ shooting drills, where he paired up with striker Philipp Hofmann.
“His passes were also sharp and precise during passing exercises. Admittedly, there was no pressure from opponents during the relaxed session, but his quality was immediately apparent.”
Marshall will return to West Ham in the summer as Luton Town prepare Gideon Kodua deal
Unlike another of West Ham’s 2023 FA Youth Cup winners – Luton Town boss Jack Wilshere is determined to sign Gideon Kodua permanently this year – Bochum do not have an option-to-buy clause in Marshall’s contract.
Enjoy him while you can, then.
“He’s a versatile striker,” adds Simon Zoller, Bochum’s head of first-team football. “He can play centrally, but also on the wing. Callum has a great mentality, is strong in pressing, and has a lot of stamina.
“With him, we’ve added an important component to our squad. We haven’t had this type of player before.”
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