Earned? what does that even mean? Didn't we spend more money than many sides in England over the past couple of decades? Didn't Man U? Thats how those titles were "earned" weren't they? City have just done it over a shorter time frame.
If I recall correctly, the Blackburn rovers side that won the title was mostly English and Scandinavian. I could believe the above. Whether its true or not is another question.