Bayer Leverkusen Plan Life Without Victor Boniface

Bayer Leverkusen have started to prepare for the departure of their talismanic striker, Victor Boniface ahead of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Victor Boniface is one of the many footballers that will leave the club for the tournament which is scheduled to commence on January 13 in Ivory Coast.

Aside from Boniface, Bayer Leverkusen may be missing more players due to the competition, including Nigeria’s Nathan Tella. The others are Edmond Tapsoba (Burkina Faso), Odilon Kossounou (Ivory Coast), and Amine Adli (Morocco).

Boniface is scheduled to represent Nigeria in Ivory Coast in what will be the first AFCON of his football career. The prolific striker has been Leverkusen’s star player this season, scoring eight goals and dishing out six assists in 14 Bundesliga games. He has also scored five goals and provided one assist in five Europa League appearances.

Because of the Nigerian’s important role in helping Leverkusen remain top of the Bundesliga table, the table-toppers are looking to replace him while he is on international duties with the Super Eagles in January.

Boniface’s backup striker, Patrik Schick, is still recovering from an injury. The Czech international’s injuries from the last two seasons make it too risky to rely on him exclusively at this time.

To ensure that their chase for a Bundesliga title is not negatively affected due to the absence of Boniface, Leverkusen plan to enter the transfer market in January and purchase a winger who can also play as a striker. This will relieve Schick of part of the pressure, according to Kicker.