Former Nigeria captain Jay-Jay Okocha has urged Victor Boniface to fight for his place at Bayer Leverkusen under new manager Erik ten Hag amid speculation over the striker\u2019s future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Boniface, 23, has struggled for consistent game time and recently slipped behind Patrick Schick in the pecking order. He has been linked with potential moves to Premier League clubs Newcastle United and Aston Villa, as well as Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ten Hag, who was recently appointed as Leverkusen boss following his exit from Manchester United, faces a major rebuilding task after the departures of star players Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong to Liverpool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Boniface to Prove His Worth<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking exclusively to SportsBoom.com during a Bundesliga promotional event in Nigeria, Okocha said Boniface must now focus on convincing Ten Hag of his value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think he’s a good player and has been a loyal servant for Leverkusen,\u201d said Okocha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe has also represented Nigeria and Africa very well in the Bundesliga. He will need to fight for his place, embrace his new manager, and prove that he deserves to be in the team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Okocha acknowledged Boniface\u2019s injury struggles last season but welcomed the striker\u2019s return to fitness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course, he struggled in the second season\u2014he was injured\u2014and it takes time to return to top form after a serious injury. But we\u2019re glad he\u2019s fit now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n On whether Boniface should leave the Bundesliga, Okocha said the decision lies with the player.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhatever he decides, I wish him the best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kompany’s Bayern Triumph Praised<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Okocha also commented on the recently concluded 2024\/25 Bundesliga season, praising Vincent Kompany for guiding Bayern Munich to the league title in his first season at the club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eintracht Frankfurt, Okocha\u2019s former team, secured a UEFA Champions League spot with a final-day 3-1 victory, but Bayern were crowned champions after reclaiming the title from Leverkusen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe season was exciting. Bayern didn\u2019t have it easy\u2014they had to fight for the title, and it was well deserved,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou have to give Kompany credit. Winning the league in your first season is no small feat. It\u2019s never easy to arrive at a new club and immediately build a cohesive team. But the power and structure Bayern have made it possible for him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Osimhen Must Decide His Own Future<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Okocha also weighed in on the ongoing transfer saga surrounding Victor Osimhen, describing the striker as Nigeria\u2019s \u201cmost prized asset.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Osimhen, 26, remains under contract with Napoli but has been the subject of intense transfer speculation for over a year. The former Wolfsburg forward came close to joining Chelsea last summer, but negotiations collapsed, and he spent the season on loan at Galatasaray, where he impressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reports suggest Osimhen has now rejected a lucrative \u20ac40m-per-year offer from Saudi club Al Hilal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United have all reportedly been in talks to sign the forward as they look to strengthen their attack ahead of next season\u2019s Premier League title defence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Okocha, who made 124 appearances for Bolton Wanderers, urged Osimhen to make his decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs a top football player, it\u2019s important that he makes the decision himself,\u201d said Okocha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhatever happens next, he\u2019ll be responsible for it and must stand by his choice. I\u2019d advise him to make his own decision\u2014not let others, even his manager, dictate it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhatever he chooses to do, we\u2019ll support him and wish him all the best.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Former Nigeria captain Jay-Jay Okocha has urged Victor Boniface to fight for his place at Bayer Leverkusen under new manager Erik ten Hag amid speculation over the striker\u2019s future. Boniface, 23, has struggled for consistent game time and recently slipped behind Patrick Schick in the pecking order. He has been linked with potential moves to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":122,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-africa-focus"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/africadiplomacy.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/africadiplomacy.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/africadiplomacy.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africadiplomacy.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africadiplomacy.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=121"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/africadiplomacy.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":123,"href":"https:\/\/africadiplomacy.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121\/revisions\/123"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africadiplomacy.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/africadiplomacy.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africadiplomacy.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africadiplomacy.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}