BRIAN Marwood believes criticism of Manchester City’s big-spending is ‘‘laughable’’ and insists the Blues have a long-term plan.

Jerome Boateng, Aleksander Kolarov, Yaya Toure, David Silva, Mario Balotelli and James Milner have all arrived at Eastlands at a cost of approximately £120million this summer.

Sir Alex Ferguson, manager of city rivals United, has claimed City are fuelling unsustainable wage inflation.

Yet Marwood, City’s football administrator, believes the signings are part of an ‘‘investment’’ in the club’s future.

He explained: ‘‘A lot of people are misinformed, they form opinions without knowing the true facts.

‘‘It’s become laughable, some of the comments about our football club. We are comfortable in terms of what we set out to do and the direction we are heading. We are extremely fortunate to have owners who invest in the club, in all areas. It’s for the future.

‘‘Eighteen months ago we were fighting a relegation battle but our ambition is to be playing in the Champions League.’’ Sheikh Mansour took in a match for the first time since the Abu Dhabi Group took control of the club in Monday’s 3-0 defeat of Liverpool.

And Marwood told BBC Radio Five Live: ‘‘Everyone appreciates what he’s done for this club.

‘‘We’ve seen (at other clubs) a lot of people come and very quickly go and leave a trail of destruction.

‘‘Sheikh Mansour, (chairman Khaldoon) Al Mubarrak and those invovlved want to be in it for the long haul. They want to put a structure in place they can enjoy for a number of years.’’ He added: ‘‘No-one has condemned Manchester United or Chelsea or clubs like that when they’ve paid big money over the years, because they’ve brought quality in. We have brought players with the quality to take us to the next level."