I think Rafa has been reading this blog

I'm kidding, of course, but he came out today with an interesting statement:

"Between what we have spent and recovered we're at a similar level to those at the top, but not the biggest sides... Manchester United have spent £70million (this year) and we have spent 40 something and recovered £26m... Many people say we have to win the title because of the money we have spent but other teams such as United, Chelsea, Newcastle or Aston Villa have also spent a lot of money.... Arsenal have been spending a lot on young players for years and now are reaping the rewards... All the top teams spend money but this does not guarantee the league title because Chelsea and United are very big with a base created over a number of years."

Though his numbers may be a little exaggerated on the Manc end, he essentially reiterated what I said in this post. In Rafa we trust.