Defoe: We're not Blue about City's spending

JERMAIN Defoe insists he is unconcerned by Manchester City s mammoth spending spree, maintaining that the Eastlands outfit will be no better placed for a trophy tilt than Tottenham when battle recommences next month...

By Ben Pearce

JERMAIN Defoe insists he is unconcerned by Manchester City's mammoth spending spree, maintaining that the Eastlands outfit will be no better placed for a trophy tilt than Tottenham when battle recommences next month.

Mark Hughes has pilfered some of the Premier League's biggest stars this summer, with Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez, Roque Santa Cruz and Gareth Barry joining last season's big buys Robinho, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Shay Given, Wayne Bridge and Craig Bellamy.

But Defoe isn't losing sleep over the daunting developments at the City of Manchester Stadium, and the striker is warning City fans that Spurs will be more than a match for their new line-up.

"Obviously Man City are in a position to do that now, that was always going to happen," he told Ham&High Sport. "But if you spend money it doesn't mean anything to be honest. It doesn't guarantee that you're going to win trophies.

"Obviously if you get the best players in you're going to do well, because you've got the best players, but we've got good players as well. We've just got to concentrate on ourselves really and make sure that we get a good start to the season."

Last summer Defoe was a Portsmouth player and watched as Tottenham signed David Bentley, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Heurelho Gomes, Vedran Corluka and Giovani Dos Santos, before making their worst ever Premier League start .

This year the forward is watching City assemble a brand new team but, despite the similarities with Spurs' demise, he is not predicting a similar collapse up north.

"Obviously it helps when you've played with the players over a number of years because you know what your strengths are," he said.

"But I suppose when you get a group of good players in they can adapt straight away because they're such good players, but we'll see.

"It's not about Man City and I haven't really thought about it. I just watch it on the TV like everyone else. We just concentrate on ourselves, and I know we've got a good squad."

City's prolific recruitment drive is in stark contrast to Tottenham's fortunes in the transfer market. Spurs are yet to make a single signing, and Harry Redknapp has admitted that he was beaten by the Blues to both Santa Cruz and Barry.

However, Defoe is convinced that his boss is merely biding his time, and he is reassuring Lilywhites fans that they too will soon be celebrating the arrival of exciting new players.

"So far it's been quiet, it is a difference from last season," he said. "I'm sure we'll get one or two players in, maybe more, so you never know. Obviously nothing's happening at the moment but I think if you look at the squad now we've got a good squad anyway, full of internationals, and I think we showed that at the end of last season.