Ivan Toney to Arsenal is the transfer rumour of the hour in north London but there is another centre-forward with a burgeoning reputation who could prove a spectacular alternative.
Toney, who scored 20 times in the Premier League last season, is due to become available for Brentford again later this month after a ban for a series of betting charges ends.
But there is an inherent risk in signing a striker who has not kicked a ball competitively for nine months, even if he has been training since September.
Instead, Arsenal are also said to be putting out feelers regarding the availability of Victor Boniface, who they hope can be persuaded to swap the pursuit of a Bundesliga title for a battle for the Premier League one.
The Nigerian striker only arrived at the club last summer for what now looks like a paltry £17.2m, given he has already scored 16 goals in 22 games across all competitions to help Bayer Leverkusen lead the Bundesliga by four points.
“He has been a massive part of Bayer Leverkusen’s surprise title challenge,” Bundesliga commentator Kevin Hatchard tells i.
“Not only does he score goals, but he’s creative too. He’s a nightmare for defenders because he’s always moving, always trying to make something happen. He’s been way clear at the top of the Bundesliga’s shot charts all season.
“He’s so physical, but he can really play too.”
It’s no coincidence either. Growing up in Nigeria, Boniface played in midfield, and he has retained that eagerness to be involved in build-up play.
“I want to play differently, create chances and not just finish them,” Boniface said back in October.
“I like dropping back to take part in the build-up and I like pulling opposition defenders towards me and thereby creating space for my team-mates.”
That would be music to the ears of Bukayo Saka, who not only needs someone to shoulder the goal-scoring responsibilities but also the weight of opposition defenders. The England winger is the third most fouled player in the league and Arsenal have reportedly been complaining to refereeing chiefs about the treatment he has been receiving.
Alexander Silk, contributor to Neverkusen, the English language podcast for Leverkusen fans, echoes those thoughts: “He’s such a good incisive passer and his technical ability is underrated too. You can see for example in the game against Bayern how he was able to just completely twist and turn the hell out of [defender Dayot] Upamecano and he was really unlucky not to score in that game.
“He’s one of the very few players who can create a chance out of nowhere himself. There aren’t that many players that can do that. You can’t even say that game about top strikers like [Erling] Haaland or [Harry] Kane. They don’t have that X-factor. Only Karim Benzema maybe, because one of his [Boniface’s] strengths is allowing others to be strong around him.”
That is the kind of hyperbole Boniface is inspiring among the Leverkusen faithful, and it’s not just his work in possession either. Under the tutelage of Xabi Alonso, Leverkusen have gone from being a resolutely counter-attacking team to a high-pressing one.
“It’s very much all about trying to suffocate the opponent on the ball, with high but controlled pressure,” Silk adds.
“It is still very much about transition, but it’s not so much back-to-front as controlled possession and then waiting for the right time.”
Sound familiar? To Arsenal fans, it probably does, but not always positively given their current struggle for points and goals.
Instead of beating West Ham and Fulham and sitting top of the table on New Year’s Day, they ended 2023 with two disappointing defeats to London rivals and are 10th in the last month’s form table.
Fans have been left with a familiar feeling of frustration that, it seems, a wide-open title race is leaving them behind in fourth place.
The primary concern, although there are many, is goal-scoring. There are 14 players in the league who have found the net more than Saka this season, Arsenal’s leading goal-getter. If you take away Eddie Nketiah’s hattrick against hapless Sheffield United, no Gunner after Saka has more than three goals from open play in the league, and that includes No 9 Gabriel Jesus, each of whose strikes have taken on average more than five hours to score.
Boniface of course cannot do it alone, but if his bedding in period in Leverkusen is anything to go by, you could reasonable expect him to be connecting with Arsenal’s midfield quickly enough.
It was watching videos of Florian Wirtz, Leverkusen’s 20-year-old attacking midfielder, that convinced Boniface to move to the German club and already they have combined nine times to create a goal. The likes of Martin Odegaard and former Leverusen player Kai Havertz would relish the opportunity to do the same.
They may not get the chance this season though. While Boniface passes all the available checks – including having been through the emotional turmoil of two ligament injuries in three years and the death of his mother, all just after having moved to Europe, and come out the other side – Leverkusen are under no illusions as to their window of success.
“Everyone is staying,” the club’s managing director for sport Simon Rolfes said last month.
“We won’t sell any players this winter.”
Leverkusen will be without Boniface in January anyway due to the Africa Cup of Nations, which may also prove a stumbling block to any audacious January move by Arsenal.
But the Gunners can take the long view. They do not see this season as a one-off chance to win a title before their team falls apart, but another step on a journey back to the top of the pile. Boniface need not be a panicked overpriced January signing, but perhaps a more measured summer one.
Whenever it might happen, expect to hear his name a lot more.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/UFtdDAX
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