Nigel de Jong: Everyone thought I was mad joining Manchester City's project

Posted Monday, October 31, 2011 by YAHOO Sport

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.

"Everyone thought I was mad [when I joined]," he told the Sunday Mirror. "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.

"You just have to look at Liverpool and Arsenal," he said. "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 Mansour is an unhealthy prospect, arguing that it has helped to increase the quality on show for fans.

"If City had not started this development project at Eastlands, the European transfer market would be dead now," he said. "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."