David Moyes believes he could have challenged for the Premier League title at Everton if the club had been able to sign a centre-forward in his last couple of years.
Moyes, who spent over 10 years in charge at Goodison Park between March 2002 and June 2013, is preparing to face his former side as Sunderland manager for the first time.
The Scot's best performance as Toffees' manager was a fourth place finish in 2004-05 and led them to seventh and sixth in his final two campaigns.
"We had a great team at Goodison but we were missing a centre-forward. We couldn't get the finances to buy one in my last couple of years," Moyes said.
"I might be exaggerating but I think, with a top centre-forward, we would have been close to winning the league; we were that good.
"I have to be fair. Bill Kenwright [Everton's chairman] was always trying to help me and every penny he had he gave me. I don't have any complaints. It was also a brilliant education. It's good to have a bit of money but it's also sometimes good to realise you've got to get out on to the training ground and teach players, build them into a team."
Moyes has outlined keeping Sunderland in the Premier League as his main objective this season but is confident that over time he can build the Black Cats into a side that consistently finishes in the top half of the division and aims higher than their current status.
"I see Everton as a very similar club to Sunderland," Moyes said. "When I first joined it felt like avoiding relegation every season was good enough. So we started to change that. I had a budget of £5 million a year but we got there in the end. We consistently finished in the top eight.
"Sunderland aren't going to be the biggest spenders, just like Everton weren't. It's going to be tough and take time -- at least three or four transfer windows -- but I want, in my own way, to do a Leicester here. It might not mean winning the Premier League but finishing in a high position."
The former Manchester United manager does not buy into the idea that players are put off by Sunderland's geographical location, and said he is confident in attracting players to the North East for footballing reasons.
"I don't think it's geography," he said. "It's that players want to play in good teams at good clubs. We had some players who I thought would sign this summer but they didn't want to come here. It wasn't just to do with money and I was a bit disappointed but we have to build a good team people want to join.
"At the moment Sunderland has got everything except league position. If we're winning regularly players will fancy coming here. I don't know if people believe that at the moment so I have to be the one to change it."