Werder Bremen head coach admits he’s never coached a striker as talented as Victor Boniface | OneFootball

Things are suddenly looking up for Werder Bremen. The Bundesliga outfit picked by many to finish dead last in the league following an early season personnel crisis suddenly have a world class striker to lead the line. Newly appointed Werder head coach Horst Steffen – himself working the highest profile job in his entire career – has never had a player quite like Bayer Leverkusen loanee Victor Boniface.

Steffen attempted to keep matters cool at his Friday pre-match press conference. The 56-year-old initially challenged the journalist posing the question, answering back “what do you mean by a ‘player like that’?” when asked if he had ever coached a footballer of Boniface’s caliber. The question genuinely needed little clarification. Boniface maintains an estimated €40m market worth.

“No I haven’t,” Steffen ultimately responded. “But he’s no different than those who have a lower market value. He’s just a normal person who plays football. He’s settling in well here and I’m optimistic that he’ll get playing time.

“Someone who can play football like that can certainly raise the level of our game,” Steffen nevertheless continued. “He has movements that I’ve never seen before. I’ve observed this multiple times. They [the movements] are exceptionally good. I’m very satisfied.”

GGFN | Peter Weis