Nigel de Jong has defended Manchester City's massive spending, believing it has improved the level of football in the top flight and caused rivals to up their game.
City have splashed hundreds of millions of pounds assembling their table-topping squad after oil-rich Sheikh Mansour's takeover in 2008.
While some view the Sheikh's investment as bad for the game, De Jong, who joined the City revolution in 2009, disagrees, believing it has caused rivals to up their game.
