Victor Boniface: Will Leverkusen’s striker problems bring him back in, or does a January loan make more sense?

Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface has barely played for Bayer Leverkusen this season, so the next few weeks will help decide whether January brings a loan or a way back into the team.

This is analysis of a possible transfer situation, not a report of a deal. We have not seen any club make an offer, and no source we opened says Leverkusen want to sell or loan him.

Where Boniface stands now

Africa Soccer reported on 16 October that the 25-year-old has struggled for playing time this season, partly because of fitness concerns. Leverkusen head coach Carles Martinez told the outlet he is working with Boniface to improve his physical intensity.

“What we want is eleven players with maximum intensity,”

Martinez also said: “We are working and talking with Boni.” The same report said Christian Kofane is expected to miss several weeks with a thigh injury, and that Martin Terrier was a doubt for the Freiburg game.

Afrik-Foot reported on 9 October that Boniface had played five minutes this season and was left out of Leverkusen's Europa League squad. It named a January loan as one way to rebuild his confidence. Soccernet has also reported the coach's comments on what could change for Boniface.

Analysis: Two roads to January

The first road is a way back at Leverkusen. With Kofane out for several weeks, there is a gap in the attack, and Martinez has said publicly that he is working with Boniface on intensity. If Boniface is given real minutes before the winter window opens, the case for sending him away weakens.

The second road is a loan. Afrik-Foot's argument is that a player with five minutes to his name needs games, and a loan is how he gets them. That road looks more likely if the minutes do not come, because the window is the next chance to change his situation.

What decides it is simple to state. Minutes in the coming weeks, the fitness the coach is working on, and whether any club makes an acceptable approach. None of these is confirmed, so we are not predicting a move.

The same Afrik-Foot piece named other Nigerians who could move, and Soccernet has also looked at six Super Eagles stars who could make a January comeback and the report linking Inter with Maduka Okoye. Boniface's next involvement in a Leverkusen squad will be the first real signal.