17 players left VfL Bochum this summer. Not all of them have been happy so far. Frustration is directed at Moritz Broschinski.

Moritz Broschinski raised his arm in celebration, but the match between his FC Basel and FC Lugano continued. The referee did not rule that the ball, struck by the former VfL Bochum striker—for whom the club could receive up to 2.5 million euros—had completely crossed the line.

Although individual images of the scene suggest otherwise. Unlike the Bundesliga, however, the Swiss league does not use goal-line technology, which is why Broschinski remains goalless even after nine Super League matches.

The 25-year-old has been unable to shake the goal-scoring curse that has plagued him in competitive matches for years, even after his transfer this summer. On top of that, he’s making life difficult for himself with technical flaws and poorly placed shots. As a result, he’s already being torn apart in the Swiss media.

The Blick recently ran the headline: “The league’s biggest transfer flop.” Journalist Florian Raz asked in a podcast for the newspaper: “Can he stop the ball? Can he shoot? No one knows.” His colleague Tobias Wedermann added: “Someone has to take responsibility for this.” Boom—those are harsh words against Broschinski, who has to endure even harsher criticism on social media.

At least last weekend went more smoothly for Lukas Daschner, who, like Broschinski, had moved from Bochum to Switzerland over the summer. At FC St. Gallen, however, he initially had to endure a difficult few months. Right in his second training session, his kneecap popped out and he had to undergo surgery. On Sunday, he made his comeback in the 1-4 loss to Young Boys Bern.

For other players who left VfL Bochum this summer, things aren’t going quite as they had hoped this season. Center back Ivan Ordets still hasn’t found a new club and has been working with a private trainer in Düsseldorf. On Tuesday, Arminia Bielefeld put the 33-year-old center back through a trial in team training. “I’d like to continue playing in the Bundesliga,” Ordets said back in the summer, but he seems to have overestimated his chances. The Ukrainian would also have to take a pay cut in Bielefeld—one of the reasons why he didn’t make the move to the second division with VfL at the time.

These players who left VfL Bochum have been plagued by injuries. Mohammed Tolba is also still without a new club. A tryout with Alemannia Aachen—which included a friendly match against VfL in October—did not result in a contract. Goalkeeper Paul Grave is dealing with a torn meniscus and has not yet played a match for 1. FC Bocholt. Agon Elezi had to sit out due to a shoulder injury after a strong start with FK Sarajevo and has only just returned to full fitness. Patrick Drewes, on the other hand, seems quite content with his role as the third-string goalkeeper at Borussia Dortmund.

Dani de Wit, who arrived in Bochum to much fanfare but was never able to live up to the hype, was sidelined for an extended period this season due to injury. After his free transfer to FC Utrecht, he scored twice in the league but then suffered a foot injury that sidelined him for several weeks. He’s back now and has fought his way back into the starting lineup.

Bamba Gains Playing Time at Willem II Samuel Bamba also holds a spot in the starting lineup for Willem II in the Dutch second division. VfL Bochum loaned him out so that Bamba could gain playing time. The plan is currently working out, even though the speedy winger has only been involved in one goal in the league so far. Nevertheless, officials at both clubs seem quite satisfied with the loan at the moment.

Tim Oermann is also currently enjoying a successful loan stint at Sturm Graz—though VfL Bochum no longer benefits from it. Bayer Leverkusen signed the right back in the summer for just under 1.8 million euros and immediately loaned him out to Austria. Since Sturm is competing in the Europa League, Oermann is expected to get used to the increased workload during back-to-back matches. “The English rhythm is new to me,” he said before the international break. “At some point, you realize that it gets a little difficult mentally to keep your concentration so high all the time.”

Things are going even better for Bernardo at TSG Hoffenheim, where he’s a regular starter under Christian Ilzer and is impressing with his performances. As usual, he defends rigorously and with composure, playing a key role in TSG’s strong season so far. Center back Jakov Medic, whom VfL Bochum had on loan from Ajax Amsterdam, has also made a big impact at his new club—at least in terms of performance. He transferred to Norwich City this summer. However, even he has so far been unable to prevent his team from occupying the second-to-last spot in England’s second division.

VfL Bochum’s other preseason loan signings, Myron Boadu and Georgios Masouras, have had mixed seasons so far. Masouras seems to be gaining momentum in Saudi Arabia, most recently scoring twice for Al-Khaleej. Boadu, on the other hand, isn’t playing at all for PSV Eindhoven. Tom Krauß, who joined the team at Castroper Straße during the winter break for the second half of the season, now plays for 1. FC Köln and is at least getting regular playing time—even though he sat on the bench for the full 90 minutes during the derby loss to Borussia Mönchengladbach.