Reborn Granit Xhaka Vows To Keep Record-Breaking Bayer Leverkusen On Top

Bayer Leverkusen talisman Granit Xhaka has called on his teammates to challenge for the Bundesliga title again ahead of the new campaign after last season's surprise triumph. Eyebrows were raised when Xhaka arrived from Premier League runners-up Arsenal at the start of last term, with Leverkusen coming off a fifth-placed finish and with rookie coach Xabi Alonso preparing for his first full season as a first-team head coach. But a club who had never previously won the Bundesliga did so undefeated -- something no German side, not even Bayern Munich, had ever done -- adding the German Cup and losing just one of 53 matches in all competitions.

Speaking with AFP at the club's pre-season training camp in the picturesque village of Donaueschingen, where Euro 2024 winners Spain were based, Xhaka said last season was just the beginning.

"We know people are hoping to beat us, they will try and they will do everything," he said.

"But we still have the hunger to be where we were last season."

After the best 18 months of his career, the 31-year-old said criticism during his time at Arsenal spurred him on.

Xhaka joined Arsenal from Borussia Moenchengladbach in 2016.

He played 297 times for the Gunners but often came under fire from fans, sometimes for being too emotional on the pitch.

Switzerland captain since 2018, Xhaka was made Arsenal skipper a year later, but had the armband stripped from him after a month for an outburst against fans who cheered when he was subbed off.

While much of the criticism can be chalked up to frustrations from a success-starved fanbase, he said it has been instrumental in his rebirth at Leverkusen.

"I'm a fan of criticism, because criticism makes you stronger. This is what I believe," he told AFP.

"I