Striker in bad shape
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The article was first published at 8:34 a.m. and was updated with statements from Daniel Thioune
Recently, Victor Boniface (25) surprisingly became an alternative for Werder Bremen’s season finale, but the Bayer Leverkusen loanee returned to training on the Weser visibly out of shape. Pictures of the striker with an astonishingly visible abdominal circumference caused a stir. Those responsible for the Green-Whites are now holding the Nigerian responsible. However, the SVW does not want to be deterred by the Boniface attempt, which is considered a transfer flop. Coach Daniel Thioune emphasized the striker’s appropriate attitude on Thursday.
“We knew what condition he was in,” said Peter Niemeyer, head of licensing at Werder, according to “Bild”. “He now has to work on his fitness, and we’ll help him with that. But it’s primarily Victor’s responsibility.”
Werder coach Thioune wants Boniface “rather to have than to need”
Update 3:00 p.m.: Coach Thioune sees it similarly: “He also knows that he can only play for a few minutes in this condition. It cannot be explained away that there is one or two grams too much. He knows that, we know that. But for me it is less about fitness and more about attitude. I see his quality and the chance that he can become a factor again. True to the motto: Better to have than to need.”
The Werder coach emphasized that he would certainly have liked Boniface to be in better fitness, but: “We shouldn’t make the mistake of reducing him to what we see, but we should perhaps also emphasize that he has signaled his willingness to play football for us again. It would have been easy for Victor to say: I need something more. But he has signaled his willingness to support us in the fight to stay in the league.” A short-term deployment would probably be too early, but it would be nice to have another option: “Of course he would be the wrong player for an intense game like against Leipzig. But if I think about duels with teams on equal terms, then it is an opportunity to threaten the opponent again with him.”
Regarding the condition of Boniface’s knee, which is why it was actually expected that the player would no longer be able to play during his loan this season, Niemeyer said: “He coped better with the operation than previously predicted. His knee is stable, the rehab went well. Of course, he is currently not physically fit and is not able to play in the Bundesliga. But he wants to help the team again. We are now working intensively with him to achieve this goal.
Filbry still wants risk transfers and loans at Werder
Regardless of Boniface’s current condition, the loan move of the former double winner from Leverkusen was not seen as a win for Bremen. During this time, its market value fell rapidly from 40 million to currently only 5 million euros. It wasn’t the first time that a supposed royal transfer of a well-known player at SVW didn’t work out. This also includes the loan of Maximilian Wöber from England or the failed attempt with Naby Keïta.
“We have to self-critically admit that these commitments have not worked as well as all sides wanted,” explained Klaus Filbry, CEO of Bremen. “But there are also positive counter-examples. That’s why I wouldn’t completely rule out such transfers in the future, which involve a certain risk.”
About loan changes themselves, the club boss said: “First and foremost, we want to bind the players to us. But fundamentally, I think the concept of loan transfers is good. Temporary changes – even with a purchase option – are a very interesting concept. There is the possibility of signing a top player whose transfer would not have been financially manageable at all. But he may have a small dip and find his performance again with us, with the option of staying with Werder in the long term.”
