Overview
- Bochum confirmed a season-ending deal for 31-year-old Marcel Sobottka as a like-for-like replacement for Ibrahima Sissoko, who joined FC Nantes.
- Sobottka trained with the squad since early January and impressed over a two-week trial that included 80 minutes in a test match, with Uwe Rösler praising his leadership but noting he needs match rhythm.
- The ex-Fortuna Düsseldorf midfielder had been without a club since last summer following the end of a decade-long stint under which he previously worked with Rösler.
- The club’s winter business also brought in left back Mikkel Rakneberg and West Ham loanee Callum Marshall to bolster depth across the squad.
- Rösler called it “an orderly transfer winter” and, before Sunday’s restart against Darmstadt, stressed consistent energy to sustain the team’s recent progress.