Former Arsenal star Granit Xhaka joined Bayer Leverkusen last year, and made history in an outstanding debut campaign under Xabi Alonso.
Xhaka departed Arsenal after a seven-year spell to return to Germany, but no one would have expected what came next. Leverkusen won the Bundesliga undefeated, with Xhaka also scoring in the DFB-Pokal final, and they even reached the Europa League final.
Alonso’s side were one of the best in Europe, and Xhaka was at the heart of it, having enjoyed an excellent final campaign at Arsenal before leaving.
Alongside Xhaka was Nigerian striker Victor Boniface, who has been linked with Arsenal after a strong debut campaign in Germany, and he is seemingly a big admirer of the Gunners.
The attacker, who scored 21 goals last season, has now revealed that he regularly watches highlights of one iconic Arsenal player in order to develop his own game, but it is not all-time record scorer Thierry Henry.
Victor Boniface reveals admiration for Arsenal icon Santi Cazorla
Speaking to SportyTV, Boniface was asked whether he watches highlights of any players, and he named his favourite four, including Arsenal icon Santi Cazorla.
“There are four players who I regularly watch. If you come to my house and see my YouTube, there are four I watch even before games,” he explained.
“I watch Neymar number one. [Hatem] Ben Arfa [number two]. Robinho, and Santi Cazorla.”
Given that Boniface is a striker, it was surprising that he named four technically gifted attacking midfielders, but he went on to explain his choices.
“It’s weird right? So as a striker, nobody will teach you where to finish, one touch, two touch. But me, I try to learn, like in those tight spaces, what I should do to beat the defender one on one. I try to learn from those guys.”
Could Victor Boniface join Arsenal?
It is clear that Boniface has a keen interest in technical attacking midfielders, and Arsenal have no shortage of them in their history.
Cazorla was a fan favourite at Arsenal and one of the most technically-gifted players the club has seen. His dribbling in tight spaces, and close control on both feet were unmatched, and any player would do well to try and emulate him.
However, for now it seems unlikely that Boniface wants to follow in Cazorla’s footsteps by moving to Arsenal, with the 23-year-old revealing that he is not that keen on the Premier League.
“No. And I’m not just saying this because I’m playing at this level. I’ve been saying this since before I had an international passport and before I dreamed of going to Europe,” he responded when asked about a potential move.
“I don’t really like the Premier League. I prefer Spanish and German football.
“I’m not saying that if a good team came for me I wouldn’t go, but if I had to choose two countries I’d really like to live and play in, I’d choose Germany and Spain.”
Arsenal may admire Boniface from afar, but for now at least, it appears that he will not be pursued as an additional option in attack.
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