Chairman Niall Quinn is adamant Sunderland are not punching above their weight as the Black Cats close in on their transfer targets.
The Wearsiders have been linked with a series of high-profile targets in recent weeks with Valencia striker Diego Forlan leading the way and the likes of Jussi Jaaskelainen, Alan Smith and Paul Scholes among the names to have been mentioned.
"And we believe that the club will sustain our approach over a period of time. We can't say it will - that's the gamble.
"But that's our hope, our aim and we want the rest of the footballing world to sit up and say, 'Hey, this is a big club and now it's awake.'
"You can't get a reaction like that just by hoping."
He continued: "We believe in Roy and we are prepared to fund that belief.
"But other clubs are doing that too, which makes it all very interesting, and that's why the game of football is as great as it is.
"There's a lot of new money coming into the Premiership, new owners and that means that there's more than just the top four for us to compete against. It's all there to be played for.
"But we feel we are at a club that can be so big that it is right for us to do this, to look to be ambitious in the transfer market."