The 23-year-old England international, who signed for a club record $41million from Charlton last month, believes Spurs have spent enough this summer to steal a coveted Champions League spot from Arsenal or Liverpool.

Bent told Hotspur magazine: "Spurs are a club that are definitely going forward.

"You only have to look at their consecutive fifth place finishes in the past two years to see that.

"For me, there was no other place to go. I believe Spurs have a real opportunity to break into the top four now and I think we can be one of the biggest clubs in Europe.

"There's no reason why we can't catch the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool.

"When you look at the squad we have and the players coming in, we can definitely compete at that level, which is what makes this season coming so exciting. I came here because I want to be a part of it."

Bent will hope to fire Tottenham to UEFA Cup glory this season, even though his only taste of European football came with Ipswich six years ago.

"I managed a couple of goals and got a taste of it but I was still really young back then," he said.

"I'd like to think I'm a better player now so, this time around, I think I'll be a bit more prepared for it.

"But the Champions League is the real target. That's where the best teams in the world play and I genuinely believe Tottenham will get into that bracket.

"I also have a lot of respect for Martin Jol. He's got some fantastic methods, some good tactics and he seems to get the best out of players, so there is no doubting he knows what he's talking about.

"A lot of people have commented on what I cost because it's obviously a big fee. But the way I see it, it's not really anything to do with me. My job is just to go out there and do the best I can."

Bent will face competition from the likes of Dimitar Berbatov, Robbie Keane and Jermain Defoe to lead the line at White Hart Lane.

He added: "With the attackers already at the club, I'm under no illusions how hard that's going to be.

"But the forwards who are already here all tend to do a lot of work with the ball, whereas I like to attack the space in behind the back four. So hopefully it'll work well with whoever I may get to play with, because I'll be trying to give them an area or a target to hit.

"These things can take a bit of time - at Charlton I often played up front on my own and never really got to establish a partnership with another player. So in that respect it'll be a bit of a change for me.

"I also believe that, if you're doing the business and banging in the goals, then you're not giving the manager any reason to take you out.

"Obviously, my pace is a big part of my game too. I run a lot in games and think fitness is something that comes quite naturally to me."