Despite transfer disappointment as a potential move to Saudi Arabia collapsed, Victor Boniface proved at the weekend that he remained committed to the Bayer Leverkusen cause with a goal-scoring display as he returned to action for the first time in three months.
Meanwhile, in the English Premier League, Guinea-Bissau's Beto delivered his best performance in an Everton shirt, and Mohamed Salah also warmed up for the Merseyside derby in style.
No move, but still groovin'
Last week, Boniface had appeared primed to follow Manchester City signing Omar Marmoush as a big African mover of the January transfer window -- with the Bayer frontman appearing to be closing on a switch to Saudi heavyweights Al Nassr.
The move promised an opportunity for the Nigerian to play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mané, but, instead, Al Nassr signed Aston Villa striker Jhon Durán to reinforce their offensive options.
After Leverkusen's victory over Sparta Prague in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, the club's sporting director, Simon Rolfes, said the Bundesliga winner had been allowed to skip training as transfer talk intensified, while noting the clubs hadn't finalised a fee for the striker.
Ultimately, Boniface didn't sign a lucrative contract with Al Nassr, but any suggestion that his head would drop after the disappointment was promptly dispelled with a fine showing against TSG Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on Sunday after he was a surprise inclusion in Xabi Alonso's starting XI.
The Super Eagles striker opened the scoring inside 15 minutes, when Alejandro Grimaldo picked him out with a threaded pass; Boniface adjusted his run to meet the ball, and slammed a left-footed effort beneath goalkeeper Luca Philipp.
The strike was Boniface's seventh in 11 outings in the top flight this term, and it ended a run of four matches without a goal in all competitions. It was also his first league showing since Nov. 9, with a muscle injury sustained on international duty in November subsequently limiting his impact.
Jeremie Frimpong added a second for the hosts, four minutes later, before Patrik Schick made it 3-0 in the 51st minute. Boniface's compatriot Gift Orban scored for Hoffenheim moments after entering the contest -- his second goal in Germany -- but it was not enough to spark a late comeback from the visitors.
This was a fine way for Boniface to mark his 50th appearance for Leverkusen, with whom he enjoyed league and cup success last season, and was named the Bundesliga's Rookie of the Year.
"I always have trust [in him]," Bayer head coach Alonso said in his post-match press conference. "It was an important moment for him after his injury. The [transfer] situation last week was a bit strange, unpleasant, and it was important that he felt important again and felt the love of the fans. That's important for the mind."
Schick, whose goal was his 14th in the league this season, said the dual threat offered with him and Boniface fit and firing could give the reigning champions hope of further cutting the six-point gap to Bayern Munich as they look to retain their title.
For Boniface, the short-term focus will be on securing further success with Bayer. If the goals keep flowing, don't be surprised if another potential suitor -- from Saudi or elsewhere -- comes calling in the offseason.
Beto warming up for Merseyside Derby
In the Premier League, Beto and Mohamed Salah each scored twice -- for Everton and Liverpool respectively -- as the Merseyside clubs warm up for next week's derby.
Goals have come easily for Salah on Merseyside, but Beto has struggled since arriving at Goodison Park from Udinese in a £25.75 million deal in 2023.
Beto was unconvincing in his first campaign, and a goal against Doncaster Rovers in a Carabao Cup tie in August proved to be a false dawn; he scored only one more goal under Sean Dyche -- a late equaliser against Fulham at the end of October -- but he is enjoying a new lease of life under David Moyes.
Indeed, a player who had been tipped to move in the January transfer window is now looking like a key element of the revived Toffees, having ended a seven-game goal drought by netting against Peterborough last month.
His showing against Leicester City at the weekend, as Everton romped to a 4-0 success, was his best for the Toffees, demonstrating the qualities that Dyche had lauded upon his arrival.
Even before scoring, he'd played a key role in Abdoulaye Doucouré's early opener, as the Mali international, with only 10 seconds on the clock, met Jordan Pickford's lofted ball forward before finishing beyond Mads Hermansen.
The fourth-fastest goal in Premier League history probably would not have been possible had Beto, relishing a rare start after Dominic Calvert-Lewin was ruled out through injury, not outmuscled Boubakary Soumaré in the lead-up.
Beto had a goal of his own five minutes later, making an intelligent run off the ball beyond Jannik Vestergaard to meet James Tarkowski's smart ball forward before finishing confidently.
For his second, he benefited from a sublime defence-splitting pass from the returning James Garner, racing beyond a clueless Leicester backline, sizing up the Foxes goal, and again demonstrating his newfound poise in front of goal.
Arne Slot believes many big clubs around the world will be looking to sign Mohamed Salah this summer, but insists he wants the forward to stay at Liverpool.
The hosts could have had a penalty in the second half when the Guinea-Bissau frontman was brought down in the box by Vestergaard, but, regardless, this was a display that has clearly breathed life into his Everton career.
"I'm really pleased for Beto because I'm only just getting to know him, [and] he's probably felt it's been difficult for him," Moyes told BBC Sport. "We need someone to score goals. We're short on centre forwards, and losing Dom was a big blow; [Beto] came in and took his goals very well."
Beto celebrated his first goal by paying homage to LeBron James with an unmistakeable tribute to the NBA great, and he later offered a gesture of solidarity to injured teammate Orel Mangala, who will miss the rest of the season with an ACL injury.
"I feel really good and pleased," Beto said after the match. "To score twice is exciting, and the team's performance was perfect. We fought for every ball. "It has been a hard 18 months for me. I just put in my mind that if I keep working and stay prepared, the opportunities will come. I showed I can play in the Premier League.
"I know I can improve. This game will give me confidence, and give confidence to the team. I don't think I will be the answer; I think we [Everton] will be the answer."
Into the dying stages of the contest, there was still time for Senegal's Iliman Ndiaye -- the outstanding player of Moyes' second coming, to date -- to add a composed fourth goal to complete the sense that there's verve, conviction, and swagger increasingly running through this Everton side.
Everton host AFC Bournemouth in the FA Cup on Saturday before next Wednesday's Merseyside derby with Liverpool, for whom Salah was again the weekend's difference-maker.
The Egyptian scored both goals as Bournemouth were dispatched 2-0 away, eventually killing the contest with a 75th-minute winner after the Cherries had threatened to find a way back into the bout.
The off-field speculation regarding Salah has not abated, and still there is not a newly signed contract at Anfield, but the forward's goal-scoring form has intensified again after a rare run of three matches without finding the net last month.
He now has four in his past three games, ending the weekend two clear of Erling Haaland in the goal-scoring charts, and having leap-frogged Frank Lampard into sixth in the all-time scoring list.
Salah equalised Lampard's record of 177 goals with his first goal against Bournemouth, a penalty, before overtaking the Chelsea great with a breathtaking second.
The North African is now just six goals behind Sergio Aguero in the all-time Premier League scoring charts.