As statements of intent go, there are few examples to match it in Leeds United's history.
A young, upwardly mobile Whites team were threatening to break up the Manchester United and Arsenal Premier League duopoly at the start of the new millennium, having registered a third-place finish and a UEFA League semi-final spot in 1999/00.
With a first Champions League run under way, the club stepped up their recent big spending by shattering their transfer record to bring Rio Ferdinand to Elland Road in November 2000.
The promising West Ham centre-back came at a hefty cost, with Leeds shelling out £18million for his services - a new world record fee for a defender.
He joined the likes of Jonathan Woodgate and Lucas Radebe at the club, as manager David O'Leary looked to strengthen his backline.
Leeds' free-spending ways - and the consequences that would eventually follow - are well documented, but the Irishman has revealed that money the club stumped up surprised even him.
"We had a brilliant leader in Lucas Radebe – but he was struggling with his knee, so the club asked me for three options to recruit, all at different prices," O'Leary has written in The Coaches Voice.
"I said Rio was the top one we could get, but I told them he would cost about £10m.
"I was actually quite shocked when they told me we were signing him for £18m – I might even have expressed doubts if I’d been asked about it – but they were convinced. He was already a world-class player and he proved to be an incredible signing."
Ferdinand remains Leeds' record signing almost 20 years on, while O'Leary also believes one of his earlier deals is among his 'best ever buys'.
Mark Viduka was snapped up shortly before the 2000-01 campaign started, with the Australian international going on to net 72 times for the club during a four-year spell.
"Thanks to the sale of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink to Atletico Madrid a year earlier, we were able to invest in players," he continues.
"I’d been to Scotland to watch Mark Viduka playing for Celtic a few times, and I knew he would be perfect for us and the way we wanted to play. He was a big, strong forward who could hold the ball up and someone we could play off, but he could also score plenty of goals.
"I was never involved in the financial side of things, but I told the board for the money – around £7m – he was absolutely perfect for us, and they agreed. We got him, and he turned out to be one of my best ever buys."
