With the almost limitless wealth of the Abu Dhabi-based United Group for Development and Investment at their backs, it appears nothing can stop City muscling their way onto England's top table.

After smashing the British record by spending £32.5million on Robinho, executive director Garry Cook has given an insight into the new way of thinking at City by refusing to rule out the prospect of luring Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United.

Cook has confirmed City's new owners are thinking "large-scale".

It is an approach Hughes embraces completely. However, signing top-class players midway through the season may not be as easy as City supporters might assume.

"There are exceptionally talented players around that we would bring to the club if they were made available," said Hughes.

"The difficulty will be getting the clubs to release those players.

"We obviously are talking about players whose clubs are involved in the Champions League. They may not be very receptive to losing those players midway through a Champions League season.

"Maybe it will be more difficult in January than people realise. But we will pursue targets we can realistically get."

Hughes sought the tranquility of the golf course on Monday as the football world was being turned upside down.

Knowing the Arab takeover from Thaksin Shinawatra was going through and a host of top-line targets being chased, Hughes felt a charity golf day was the best method of keeping calm.

Eventually only Robinho was snared, although that deal in itself is enough to signal the beginnings of a new order, with more pressure now being applied to Hughes than he could have expected following his arrival from Blackburn in the summer.

Not that the former Wales star is complaining.

"Pressure is always there," he said.

"I have been working with pressure as a player and manager for 25 years. If you can't work with it you are in the wrong business.

"It will obviously grow because of the interest there is in what we are trying to do here but I came here to win things.

"I could have stayed at Blackburn and had a comfortable job without any great expectations. The pressure here won't faze me in any way shape or form."

Hughes argues that his aims have not changed much either. Indeed the radical ownership change has merely made those plans appear far more attainable.

"The goal has always been to try and compete with the top teams," he said.

"Maybe the timescale is a bit different but the goals have not changed. We want to compete and try to win trophies if we can."

In Robinho, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Jo alone City spent £60million during the transfer window, with Tal Ben Haim and Vincent Kompany arriving virtually unnoticed amid the frenzy that has accompanied the buy-out.

"Now, nothing is going to stop us," roared Cook as he ushered in a "new era".

Hughes is slightly more circumspect. In the short term, he must mould together a set of players that now include genuine superstars, individual talents, home-grown youngsters and more run-of-the-mill professionals.

Not that he sees a problem in that.

"It will not be difficult to keep people happy," he said.

"Bringing in Robinho has made everybody happy. It has raised the bar.

"The expectation levels have increased and people will have to raise their game. That is fantastic.

"We have a group of players who are working extremely hard and were going in the right direction even before the introduction of money from Abu Dhabi.

"Now we have a really focused group that I am sure will kick on even further."

It is amazing that the fixture calendar has ensured Chelsea must visit the team who have now taken their status as the world's richest club immediately after the international break.

With replica shirts and season tickets disappearing fast, Eastlands will be buzzing on September 13 when what was once the irresistible force meets what appears to have become an immovable object. And Hughes cannot wait to get started.

"Everyone is really excited about what is happening to the club and I include myself in that," he said.

"We are at the stage where we can really kick on now. We have the resources we need to be successful."