Granit Xhaka aims brutal dig at Arsenal after 'special' start to life at Bayer Leverkusen while sending ominous warning to Bayern Munich

The Swiss international could not have asked for a better start to his stint at Leverkusen as he lifted the domestic double - the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal - in his debut campaign. He emerged as a key figure in midfield under the tutelage of Xabi Alonso and has now claimed that his decision to leave the Gunners has been a progressive step in his career.

Speaking to German outletBild,Xhaka said: "For me, it was not a step back, but rather two steps forward. Because I had the exact feeling, during discussions with the coach and with Simon Rolfes, that something special could happen here in the next few years."

The reigning German champions are struggling to hold on to Jonathan Tah as Bayern Munich have been enticing the defender with a lucrative transfer offer. The German international has already allegedly turned down an extension offer from Leverkusen but the move still hangs in the air as the Bavarians have not matched the asking price. And Xhaka is giving his all to convince Tah to rebuff the allures of Bayern and continue at Bay Arena.

"Everyone knows that Bayern is a very big club. And big clubs want the biggest players. That should also be an honour for Jonathan," he said.

"We know what he means to our team. He also knows where Leverkusen stands today. He also knows that we won the championship last year. That is his decision. We would like to keep Jona with us. He makes a great impression, not at all thinking about anything else. He is very focused. Just like I got to know him last season. Of course, we all hope that he stays with us."

Xhaka's recent comments are unlikely to go down well with the Gooners and the former Arsenal man might be handed a hostile reception at the Emirates when he visits north London for a friendly on August 7. He has "completely recovered" from a torn abductor muscle in his left thigh that he picked up during the European Championship and is gunning for more glory ahead of the new campaign.

"We want even more. Not just this year, but of course we want to be at the top in the coming years," the Leverkusen star added in another clear warning to Bayern.