Manchester City midfielder Nigel de Jong has expressed his delight at being part of his side's evolution into title challengers.
The Dutchman joined the Eastlands outfit in 2009 and they have since lifted the FA Cup, qualified for the Champions League and now have an early lead in this year's Premier League.
He told the Sunday Mirror: "Everyone thought I was mad [when I joined]. Why did I prefer Man City above other clubs?
"But Sheikh Mansour's people sold the club and their ambitions very well to me.
"They told me we were going to buy big players and we would be making big steps in a couple of seasons. Everything they said was solid.
"They literally said to me 'within four years, we will have a team that will play for the league title'. And this season is the first year that is happening.
"I really think we can go and become the new champions of England."
The former Hamburg midfielder believes the spending which has helped turn City around has also made English football more competitive.
He said: "You just have to look at Liverpool and Arsenal. They have lost what I call their subscriptions to a place in the top four. They now have severe competition from other clubs.
"First, it came from Chelsea. Now we are a competitor too. Arsenal and Liverpool are forced to consider making new signings to strengthen their teams.
"They can't survive in the top four with a modest transfer policy or just a couple of ordinary signings.
"There are six or seven teams who can fight for the four top places in the Premier League now."
However, the Netherlands international does not believe the spending of owner Sheikh Mansour is an unhealthy prospect, arguing that it has helped to increase the quality on show for fans.
He continued: "If City had not started this development project at Eastlands, the European transfer market would be dead now. We are creating a bigger gap between the bigger and smaller clubs in the league.
"But the big advantage is that the public get to see an incredibly high level of football each week."
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has said that mental power was the key to his side's narrow 1-0 away win against Real Sociedad on Saturday.
Gonzalo Higuain grabbed the only goal of the game in the first half as the Spanish giants successfully carved out a victory to provisionally go top of the Primera Division table.
After scoring 21 times in their previous five domestic fixtures before their visit to the Basque region, Mourinho admitted that the win by a single goal was a tough one.
"In the last few minutes, we managed to play with fatigue,” the Portuguese is quoted as saying by Marca.
“We lost physical freshness in the second half but we won the game with our mind which helped us control the game.”
Mourinho made four changes to his team following their 3-0 home victory against Villarreal on Wednesday, and the former Chelsea manager defended his decision to rotate his squad.
"I changed four players and I am pleased by the response of my team," he enthused. "We have now finished a very difficult month and a very difficult week in which we also beat Malaga and Villarreal."
Real Madrid return to Champions League action on Wednesday evening where an away win against Olympique Lyonnais would confirm their qualification to the round of 16 with two games to spare.
Arsene Wenger claimed Arsenal's deadline day rebuild is beginning to bear fruit following their sensational win at Chelsea.
The Frenchman was full of praise for his team after they overcame a 2-1 half-time deficit to win 5-3 at Stamford Bridge only two months after they were humiliated 8-2 at Old Trafford against Manchester United.
"What has changed is that we got half a team in on 31 August," explained Wenger, who bought five new players in the last 48 hours of the summer transfer window.
"We had to play a qualifier for the Champions League, we had to rebuild the unity in the way we want to play. Now the players get used to the way you want to play.
"Every win makes you stronger as well. We have to remain humble, keep focused and win together. We have some ground to make up to finish stronger in the league but the quality we have shown today should make us more confident.
"People forget Wojciech [Szczesny], [Aaron] Ramsey, [Jack] Wilshere, they are 19, 20. They are top quality but it's normal they improve game to game. I feel we are much stronger as a unit today."
Wenger said there was "nothing to add" on Robin van Persie's contract situation but praised the Dutchman, whose hat-trick took his personal tally to 10 league goals this season and 28 in his last 27 Premier League matches.
"He is, of course, on fire but he takes advantage from the fact we attack a lot and create chances. Overall, the intelligence of his movement around the box and the accuracy of his finishing is sensational."
Wenger's team ended their horrific away form in style with their first league victory on the road since beating Blackpool in April.
He said: "Overall, I can only praise my team. We knew we needed a win here and kept going to win the game. Overall, we had a good team performance. They showed great spirit as well. At 2-1 down at half-time it is difficult but in the second half we had the desire to keep going forward and we defended much better and got much tighter.
"We gave too many chances away in the first half, we gave them too much space. But I think [Laurent] Koscielny was outstanding. He was the one at the back in the first half who looked strong.
"We were dangerous the whole game. It is the brand of our team and club, sometimes you get rewarded and sometimes you pay for it. Until now Chelsea didn't look open at all. They looked very secure defensively in the games they played. Maybe it is our quality."
Barcelona's hat-trick hero Lionel Messi praised his team-mates after their 5-0 annihilation of Mallorca on Saturday, and also claimed he was not suffering a crisis after going three games without a goal.
The Argentine grabbed a hat-trick within the first half-hour before Isaac Cuenca and Dani Alves completed the rout against Joaquin Caparros' side at Camp Nou.
Messi is now on 199 goals for the Catalan giants, 36 goals behind Cesar Rodriguez - the side's record goalscorer - but the forward is more focused on team accolades.
"The team played well again," he told Gol TV after the game. "We got quick goals and in the first half, the result was nearly confirmed. We have to continue this way.
"It's crazy to say that after three games [without a goal] I was in crisis. I do not care whether I score or not, what matters is that the team win and continue to do so."
The 24-year-old was also questioned about his goal celebration after his third goal, where he held up three fingers, one-by-one.
However, Messi denied it had anything to do with going three games without scoring, saying that it was a personal tribute to a friend.
"I have a friend from home who told me to do that," he explained. "The number 123 has a special meaning for him."
A double from Gareth Bale helped Tottenham to defeat Queens Park Rangers in the London derby to go back into fifth place in the Premier League.
Dutchman Rafael Van Der Vaart also claimed a goal, with substitute Jay Bothroyd having breathed some life into the game with a second half strike, before the Welshman Bale extinguished that with his second goal.
Harry Redknapp decided to bring back inspirational centre half Ledley King into the starting line-up after he returned from a groin injury that he picked up during the draw away to Newcastle, while his opposite number Neil Warnock kept faith with Anton Ferdinand after a controversial week for the defender.
The home should have gone into the lead after only two minutes as Luka Modric got the ball just outside the box and his strike was pounced on by Van Der Vaart inside the box that led to the Dutchman’s shot being tipped round the corner by Paddy Kenny.
From the resulting corner kick Spurs had another chance after the ball was half cleared by the QPR defence, a cross came in from the right which Bale managed to get a foot on and divert towards goal, but once again Kenny was up to the task, saving well to keep the sides level.
Warnock’s side suffered a blow within the first ten minutes as Fitz Hall was forced from the field with an injury and that meant that the Loftus Road side had to replace the centre half with Welsh international Danny Gabbidon.
Spurs had a golden opportunity to take the lead as Van Der Vaart whipped a free kick from the left wing that landed plum on the head of Emanuel Adebayor, but the on-loan Manchester City frontman could not find the target as his chance went wide of Kenny’s left hand post.
The visitors’ first chance came after a good passing move ended with Adel Taarabt finding Heidur Helguson just inside the area, but the Icelandic international could not direct the ball towards Brad Friedel’s goal, as the ball sailed wide.
Redknapp’s side then went in front straight after that chance as the goal kick by Friedel was knocked on by Adebayor to Aaron Lennon, who found the onrushing Bale on the left wing and he raced in and slid the ball beyond the outstretched arms of Kenny and into the back of the QPR goal, to give his side the advantage.
Just before the half hour mark Spurs should have doubled their lead as Adebayor raced down the right wing, before hitting a powerful cross that found Benoit Assou-Ekotto, he then proceeded to cut the ball back to Bale, but unfortunately for the winger he got under the shot and it went over the bar.
The home side continued to dominate the game and were ultimately rewarded as the broke to King halfway inside the half and with the White Hart Lane crowd baying for the centre half to shoot, he tried a shot that was going wildly wide before Van Der Vaart latched onto it and placed the ball beyond Kenny for his fifth goal in five Premier League games.
They could have stretched their lead further only a couple of minutes later, as Van Der Vaart chipped a corner from the left wing into the path of Modric, whose strike from the edge of the area went just over the bar.
Spurs continued to pile the pressure on the Premier League new boys, with a superb passing move leading to Assou-Ekotto getting the ball, free on the left wing and finding Modric just inside the box, but once again the Croatian could find the target as the ball went out for a goal kick to QPR.
The White Hart side continued to look to go forward, with the visitors seemingly unable to find a way to put Friedel under any pressure at all as they were forced to go into the half time break two goals down in the London derby.
Dutchman Rafael Van Der Vaart also claimed a goal, with substitute Jay Bothroyd having breathed some life into the game with a second half strike, before the Welshman Bale extinguished that with his second goal.
Harry Redknapp decided to bring back inspirational centre half Ledley King into the starting line-up after he returned from a groin injury that he picked up during the draw away to Newcastle, while his opposite number Neil Warnock kept faith with Anton Ferdinand after a controversial week for the defender.
The home should have gone into the lead after only two minutes as Luka Modric got the ball just outside the box and his strike was pounced on by Van Der Vaart inside the box that led to the Dutchman’s shot being tipped round the corner by Paddy Kenny.
From the resulting corner kick Spurs had another chance after the ball was half cleared by the QPR defence, a cross came in from the right which Bale managed to get a foot on and divert towards goal, but once again Kenny was up to the task, saving well to keep the sides level.
Warnock’s side suffered a blow within the first ten minutes as Fitz Hall was forced from the field with an injury and that meant that the Loftus Road side had to replace the centre half with Welsh international Danny Gabbidon.
Spurs had a golden opportunity to take the lead as Van Der Vaart whipped a free kick from the left wing that landed plum on the head of Emanuel Adebayor, but the on-loan Manchester City frontman could not find the target as his chance went wide of Kenny’s left hand post.
The visitors’ first chance came after a good passing move ended with Adel Taarabt finding Heidur Helguson just inside the area, but the Icelandic international could not direct the ball towards Brad Friedel’s goal, as the ball sailed wide.
Redknapp’s side then went in front straight after that chance as the goal kick by Friedel was knocked on by Adebayor to Aaron Lennon, who found the onrushing Bale on the left wing and he raced in and slid the ball beyond the outstretched arms of Kenny and into the back of the QPR goal, to give his side the advantage.
Just before the half hour mark Spurs should have doubled their lead as Adebayor raced down the right wing, before hitting a powerful cross that found Benoit Assou-Ekotto, he then proceeded to cut the ball back to Bale, but unfortunately for the winger he got under the shot and it went over the bar.
The home side continued to dominate the game and were ultimately rewarded as the broke to King halfway inside the half and with the White Hart Lane crowd baying for the centre half to shoot, he tried a shot that was going wildly wide before Van Der Vaart latched onto it and placed the ball beyond Kenny for his fifth goal in five Premier League games.
They could have stretched their lead further only a couple of minutes later, as Van Der Vaart chipped a corner from the left wing into the path of Modric, whose strike from the edge of the area went just over the bar.
Spurs continued to pile the pressure on the Premier League new boys, with a superb passing move leading to Assou-Ekotto getting the ball, free on the left wing and finding Modric just inside the box, but once again the Croatian could find the target as the ball went out for a goal kick to QPR.
The White Hart side continued to look to go forward, with the visitors seemingly unable to find a way to put Friedel under any pressure at all as they were forced to go into the half time break two goals down in the London derby.
Bale love | Spurs winger shows his love for the fans
Warnock decided to shake things about at the start of the second half, taking off Shaun Derry and the ineffective Taarabt for the forward thinking Bothroyd and Jamie Mackie as he looked to find a way back into the game.
But it was Spurs who could have killed the game off minutes into the second period as a throw in from Kyle Walker found Van Der Vaart on the edge of the area and his drive looked to be nestling in the corner of the net before Kenny got down and clawed the ball wide for a corner.
The visitors then had a glorious chance to get back into the game as Shaun Wright-Phillips showed a superb piece of skill to chip the ball over Walker before cutting it back, into the path of Helguson, but his shot went over the bar.
Just after the hour mark they got back into the game as a corner from the right was knocked back into the danger zone by Helguson and Bothroyd was on hand, just a couple of yards out to knock the ball home to the delight of the QPR fans in the corner.
Kenny once again showed his worth for the Loftus Road side after he failed to deal with a Van Der Vaart free kick, the Irish stopper then made two outstanding saves from both Adebayor then Bale in order to keep his side in the game.
QPR then went up the other end of the park and could have got level as Wright-Phillips knocked the ball to Alejandro Faurlin, who unleashed a superb strike for just outside the box that was saved by Friedel for a corner to the visitors.
The game then swung up to the other end, with Assou-Ekotto this time having an effort on goal from the edge of the area, but once again he was thwarted by Kenny as the keeper managed to turn the ball over for yet another corner.
Spurs eventually got their third of the game after a superb one-two between Bale and Lennon ended with Welshman curling a shot round the helpless Kenny to double his tally for the game and restore the home side’s two goal cushion.
With quarter of an hour left Spurs should have killed the game off as a contest as Lennon showed a great piece of skill to find Adebayor inside the box, but the Tottenham striker failed to find the target as his shot went wide of goal.
The visitors could have pulled one back as Mackie raced into the middle of the pitch and the
Scotland international found an unmarked Wright-Phillips on the left hand side, but his curling strike went wide of target.
QPR had a series of chances inside injury time, but they failed to find the target and thus ended up leaving White Hart Lane with nothing at the end of the game.
But it was Spurs who could have killed the game off minutes into the second period as a throw in from Kyle Walker found Van Der Vaart on the edge of the area and his drive looked to be nestling in the corner of the net before Kenny got down and clawed the ball wide for a corner.
The visitors then had a glorious chance to get back into the game as Shaun Wright-Phillips showed a superb piece of skill to chip the ball over Walker before cutting it back, into the path of Helguson, but his shot went over the bar.
Just after the hour mark they got back into the game as a corner from the right was knocked back into the danger zone by Helguson and Bothroyd was on hand, just a couple of yards out to knock the ball home to the delight of the QPR fans in the corner.
Kenny once again showed his worth for the Loftus Road side after he failed to deal with a Van Der Vaart free kick, the Irish stopper then made two outstanding saves from both Adebayor then Bale in order to keep his side in the game.
QPR then went up the other end of the park and could have got level as Wright-Phillips knocked the ball to Alejandro Faurlin, who unleashed a superb strike for just outside the box that was saved by Friedel for a corner to the visitors.
The game then swung up to the other end, with Assou-Ekotto this time having an effort on goal from the edge of the area, but once again he was thwarted by Kenny as the keeper managed to turn the ball over for yet another corner.
Spurs eventually got their third of the game after a superb one-two between Bale and Lennon ended with Welshman curling a shot round the helpless Kenny to double his tally for the game and restore the home side’s two goal cushion.
With quarter of an hour left Spurs should have killed the game off as a contest as Lennon showed a great piece of skill to find Adebayor inside the box, but the Tottenham striker failed to find the target as his shot went wide of goal.
The visitors could have pulled one back as Mackie raced into the middle of the pitch and the
Scotland international found an unmarked Wright-Phillips on the left hand side, but his curling strike went wide of target.
QPR had a series of chances inside injury time, but they failed to find the target and thus ended up leaving White Hart Lane with nothing at the end of the game.
