Rafael Benitez says he gave up the chance to earn "massive money" in order to take up a legitimate title bid with Chelsea.
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Benitez was appointed interim boss at Stamford Bridge following Roberto Di Matteo's sacking in November and is currently in Japan contesting the Club World Cup.
The former Liverpool and Valencia tactician admitted he had the opportunity to manage at one of the mega-rich Asian teams, but said he was holding out for a club with genuine title ambitions.
"Before I came here I had a lot of other offers," the Spaniard said, whose deal in west London will expire at the end of the current campaign.
"I could be working in Spain or Italy or China, earning massive money at a club in the middle of the table for 10 years. But I was waiting for a top side. I want to compete to win trophies.
"People have asked me questions about whether it's a two-horse race between the two Manchester clubs. But realistically, with three points for a game, if you win two or three in a row you have more confidence.
"If we win here and play like we did on Thursday, with the quality going forward and the right balance in defence, we can go on a run.
"How many games? I don't know. Others can do that, too. But after three or four wins in a row, the confidence can be high. So why not?
"At Liverpool, we had 11 games, drew against Arsenal and won the other 10. So why can't we do the same here? To win here would be a big boost to everyone and we would go home with a lot of confidence.
"At Valencia we were well behind, eight points down in January or February, but I told the players that they would go on to win the league."
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