Mackay – who has smashed Cardiff's transfer record on three occasions during the close-season, to sign Andreas Cornelius, Steven Caulker and Gary Medel – has been well supported by controversial chairman Vincent Tan as he prepares for the club's debut Premier League campaign.

The Welsh outfit have spent heavily in a bid to maintain their top-flight status, and Mackay admits that they could still venture into the transfer market again before the transfer window shuts on September 2.

Ahead of their season opener against West Ham at Upton Park on Saturday, Mackay said: "We've got a squad that is in the Premier League on merit and deserve to be here.

"Anything we bring in needs to be an improvement. We want to bring the best players to this club, I'll make no apologies for that.

"It's not about looking back, we need to look forward and the club has grown massively in a relatively short space of time."

Mackay, who spent one season at West Ham as a player in 2004-05, says Saturday's match will be a "proud" moment for himself and the club, who won the Championship last season.

But he is also wary of their opponents and knows a professional performance is required in order to leave Upton Park with a result.

"I'll be proud for everyone at this football club tomorrow," he added.

"I've had a great time in Cardiff and in Wales and it'll be a proud moment.

"When this was the first fixture I had a smile on my face. I had a great time at West Ham and we're going up against a top manager (in Sam Allardyce).

"It's a tough game no doubt. There's so much experience in their side. It would obviously be great to get off to a good start. We're all excited. We've worked hard through the summer and we're ready."

Mackay said Cornelius will be given until the last minute to prove his fitness, but apart from that, he has no injury worries.

"Andreas is training with us today and we'll see how he does before we decide about tomorrow," he said.