Florian Wirtz, Victor Boniface and Bayer Leverkusen's breakout stars making Xabi Alonso's side Bundesliga title contenders

If there was one thing that Leverkusen lacked last season, it was an imposing and prolific No.9 - Diaby was their top scorer in the Bundesliga with nine goals. Victor Boniface, though, has already struck seven times since joining from Union Saint-Gillioise for €20m (£17m/$21m). That is quite the outlay for a player who hadn't exactly taken the Belgian championship by storm.

However, Boniface did impress in the Europa League, eventually finishing as the tournament's joint-top scorer alongside Marcus Rashford, and he's already justified his transfer fee by proving the perfect player to spearhead Alonso's attack. Indeed, the 22-year-old has also contributed five assists to the Leverkusen cause, with his fine form resulting in a well-deserved Nigeria debut in September.

Jeremie Frimpong has been the subject of intense transfer speculation for months now - and it's easy to understand why. The former Celtic man has taken his game to a whole other level since Alonso's arrival as coach, becoming one of Leverkusen's most effective attacking outlets down the right-hand side with his pace and skill.

Frimpong has been directly involved in nine goals in 12 Bundesliga appearances, scoring four himself from wing-back. It's hardly surprising, then, that he is being linked with a summer switch to one of Europe's elite, with a €40m (£35m/$44m) buy-out clause reportedly set to come into effect at the end of the season.

Left-back had been something of a problem position for Leverkusen, but it's fair to say that Alex Grimaldo has solved it. The Spanish set-piece specialist has been a revelation since joining on a free transfer during the summer after seven years at Benfica. He's got as many goals as Boniface in the Bundesliga (seven) and racked up four assists - illustrating Leverkusen's amazing goalscoring threat out wide.

However, Grimaldo has also been excellent defensively, while the importance of his experience and winning mentality has been regularly talked up by his new team-mates.

Yet another fantastic summer signing, 31-year-old Jonas Hofmann is arguably playing the best football of his career after joining Leverkusen friom Borussia Monchengladbach for just €10m (£9m/$11m).

Hofmann has, of course, been a top Bundesliga player for some time now, netting 12 goals in each of his past two campaigns. But the hard-working winger is already well on his way to bettering that tally this season, having struck five times in his first 12 outings for Bayer.

However, it's worth pointing out that in a team full of attacking talents, no player has created more chances than Hofmann (32), who also has five assists to his name.

There was talk last year that Jonathan Tah's time at the BayArena might be drawing to a close, but the 27-year-old has enjoyed an unbelievable resurgence over the past few months. Tah has featured in all but one Bundesliga game so far and caught the eye with his aerial dominance and pin-point passing.

The versatile centre-back, who has scored three times in the Bundesliga this season, was particularly impressive in the 2-2 draw with Bayern at the Allianz Arena back in September, and his fine form has got him back in the Germany squad.

Despite attracting the interest of several top clubs during the summer, including Liverpool, defensive midfielder Exequiel Palacios signed a new contract with Leverkusen in September, much to the delight of sporting director Simon Rolfes: "We are convinced Exequiel can assume an even more key role in the future."

And that's exactly what Palacios has done. The Argentine World Cup winner is utterly integral to the way in which Leverkusen both reclaim and use possession. Palacios has won back possession - and more tackles - more times than any of his team-mates, while he's also been directly involved in five goals. There are few better No.6s in the world right now.

A seriously special talent, arguably the most exciting to come out of Germany for a decade - which is really saying something. Florian Wirtz replaced Kai Havertz as the youngest player in Leverkusen's history when he made his debut as a 17-year-old in 2020, and although his progress was checked by a serious knee injury, he is now flourishing playing alongside Hofmann and just behind Boniface, while he is also a regular for the national team.#

Wirtz, now 20, has amassed five assists and three goals so far this season, and his fine form has reportedly made a big-money move inevitable, with Real Madrid and Manchester City among those said to be intent on signing the versatile attacker.

Following the club-record acquisition of Declan Rice, Arsenal no longer had any need for Granit Xhaka - even though the Swiss was excellent for long stretches of last season. So, Rolfes moved quickly to agree a €25m (£21.5m/$27m) deal with the Gunners for the veteran midfielder, revealing that he signed Xhaka as much for his leadership skills as his tenacity in the middle of the park.

Xhaka has vindicated that show of faith in some style, quickly establishing himself as an integral member of Alonso's team. The 31-year-old is not just breaking up play wonderfully well, he's also completed more passes (1122) than any of his team-mates, and while he's not the captain, he's certainly playing like one.