Werder Bremen's Managing Director of Football, Clemens Fritz, has said the club was aware of Victor Boniface's knee problem before signing the striker on loan but did not expect it to lead to surgery.
Boniface, 25, joined Werder Bremen on a season-long loan from Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the summer 2025 transfer window. The Nigeria international struggled for fitness and form, making 11 appearances in the Bundesliga, starting only twice, and failing to score.
In January, the club announced he would be unavailable for months after deciding to undergo surgery on his injured knee. The operation was performed on January 10 in Innsbruck by knee specialist Prof. Dr. Christian Fink, following consultations involving medical teams from both Bremen and Leverkusen.
Speaking about the decision, Fritz said Bremen acted out of necessity and opportunity. "Not so much. We still wanted a striker at the time and had very limited financial resources.
Victor was available at short notice. We saw it as an opportunity. The financial risk was manageable," he stated, according to Stern. Fritz added the club knew of the previous issue but could not foresee a recurrence. "Of course, we were aware of the knee issue. But nobody could have predicted that he would sustain another injury and require surgery," he stated.