A couple of years ago when Bayer Leverkusen achieved history and went undefeated in the Bundesliga to break up Bayern Munich's hegemony of the title, striker Victor Boniface was one of the big sensations in European football. And as Tottenham Hotspur are on the lookout for a new striker, he could potentially be a cheaper flier worth taking.
Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sports Germany is reporting that after years of bouncing around and now tumbling down to No. 3 on the striker depth chart at the Bay Arena, the 25 year old Boniface wants out of Leverkusen in the winter transfer window. Leverkusen are prepared to either sell or let him go on loan this January, having already loaned him out with poor results to fellow Bundesliga side Werder Bremen last season. Plettenberg reports that two clubs have inquired about Boniface and his departure is more "concrete" than ever before.
Boniface has serious injury concerns, and those questions marks even hampered him a bit in his breakout 2023/24 season with Die Werkself. But with 14 goals and 8 assists in 2023/24 even in only 1,554 minutes, Boniface was a special player for Xabi Alonos. He was one of the most uniquely gifted and skilled strikers in the world, posing a present danger to create or score in the box.
It's a shame Victor Boniface has been unable to follow up since then, and while he has enough question marks that he cannot be the only striker Tottenham Hotspur sign, adding Boniface on a low risk loan to replace Mykhaylo Mudryk's spot in the squad if his loan can be canceled would be a great idea. Boniface's profile and talent are greater than Mudryk's, and while Roberto De Zerbi's infatuation with the Ukrainian international makes that move unlikely, it should honestly be something Spurs think about.
Tottenham could land Boniface as a cheap, low risk short term addition to see if he can be something more and pair him with a more dynamic and expensive option. But the other sad reality Spurs are facing this winter is a difficult striker transfer market wherein even giant clubs like Barcelona could not sign preferred options, with the Blaugrana having to settle for Gabriel Jesus last summer from Arsenal, for example.
Boniface only started two games in Bremen last season and is not an option for Leverkusen, but he is also a victim of circumstance. Bremen were grossly incompetent last season and Leverkusen are married to Patrik Schick. Perhaps Boniface just needs a chance, and he can't be a worse option than Dominic Solanke - or last year's loan punt Randal Kolo Muani.