{"id":871454,"date":"2026-04-04T11:42:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T11:42:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/871454\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T11:42:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T11:42:21","slug":"west-ham-dodged-50m-tim-steidten-deal-as-victor-boniface-concerns-emerge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/871454\/","title":{"rendered":"West Ham dodged \u00a350m Tim Steidten deal as Victor Boniface concerns emerge"},"content":{"rendered":"

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West Ham have made some woeful transfer decisions in recent years but it seems they may well have avoided their worst yet by snubbing a \u00a350m Tim Steidten-led move for Victor Boniface.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two years ago a top journalist revealed West Ham<\/a> were getting ready to back technical director Tim Steidten<\/a> by funding a club record transfer for Nigerian striker Victor Boniface<\/a>.<\/p>\n

West Ham had started yet another search for a striker and Boniface was top of Steidten\u2019s list. <\/p>\n

It was claimed West Ham were willing to back Steidten\u2019s judgement with a \u00a350m bid for Boniface<\/a> they were confident would tempt Bayer Leverkusen into selling.<\/p>\n

Photos emerge showing Boniface carrying \u2018excess weight\u2019<\/p>\n

The powerful, pacy forward seemed to have all the ingredients needed to be a Premier League hit \u2013 especially when he impressed in Leverkusen\u2019s pre-season and Europa League quarter-final victories over the Hammers.<\/p>\n

But it seems West Ham dodged that \u00a350m Steidten deal bullet as \u2018disturbing\u2019 Boniface concerns emerge.<\/p>\n

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\"ACredit; GRV Media <\/p>\n

In the end Steidten elected not to spend his striker budget on one signing for his first summer in full charge of West Ham\u2019s recruitment.<\/p>\n

Jhon Duran was targeted too but Steidten then opted to spread his budget on signing flop duo Niclas Fullkrug and Luis Guilherme instead.<\/p>\n

\"VictorPhoto by ANP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

While those signings have proved disastrous, signing Boniface may have proved even worse.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s after photos described as \u2018disturbing\u2019 by German publication Bild<\/a> emerged showing Boniface \u2018carrying excess weight\u2019 in training after returning from a long-term injury while on loan at Werder Bremen.<\/p>\n

Club chiefs have also spoken out calling on the former Hammers target Boniface to improve his physical condition.<\/p>\n

Boniface is yet to score for Bremen since leaving Leverkusen on a season-long loan deal and has only made 11 appearances due to a knee injury.<\/p>\n

West Ham dodged \u00a350m bullet as Boniface told to improve physical condition <\/p>\n

While Boniface\u2019s knee was the problem in the first half of the season, Bild says now his stomach is the issue. <\/p>\n

Werder Bremen\u2019s head of professional football, Peter Niemeyer, suggested to BILD Boniface needs to sort out his fitness and conditioning.<\/p>\n

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\"Jarrod <\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew what kind of shape he was in,\u201d Niemeyer said. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe now needs to work on his fitness and we\u2019re helping him with that. But Victor is primarily responsible for that\u2026<\/p>\n

\"VictorPhoto by Stuart Franklin\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, he\u2019s not yet physically fit and unable to play in the Bundesliga. But he wants to help the team again. We\u2019re now working intensively with him to achieve that goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bild states that Boniface\u2019s \u2018excess weight\u2019 was a problem at the start of his loan spell but has now become \u2018even more pronounced\u2019.<\/p>\n

West Ham dodged the Boniface bullet not once, but twice.<\/p>\n

\n

“ES EVIDENTE QUE TIENE SOBREPESO”.<\/p>\n

Daniel Thioune, entrenador de Werder Bremen, habl\u00f3 sobre el estado f\u00edsico de V\u00edctor Boniface y lament\u00f3 que est\u00e9 de esta manera.<\/p>\n

“Es evidente que tiene sobrepeso, \u00e9l lo sabe y nosotros tambi\u00e9n. Ojal\u00e1 estuviera en mejor forma. Necesita demostrar\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/S6NEylLWh3<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jos\u00e9 I. Araoz (@Gazpachen) April 3, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

View Tweet<\/p>\n

The Hammers reportedly made an enquiry for the 25-year-old last summer but he ended up joining Bremen instead on deadline day.<\/p>\n

Ironically the man West Ham signed instead for half the price, Fullkrug, quickly found out he had to shed weight to try and cope with the physicality and athleticism of the English game.<\/p>\n

Fullkrug admitted he lost five kilos after his disastrous debut campaign.<\/p>\n

But it did little to help the German and he was loaned out to AC Milan, who have reportedly already decided they don\u2019t want to take up the paltry \u00a35m option to make the move permanent.<\/p>\n

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