Former Tottenham Hotspur captain Ledley King has told Reuters the club's start to the season shows they are genuine title contenders ahead of Saturday's match against champions Leicester City.
Spurs challenged the Foxes for the Premier League crown last season but collapsed in the final four matches, picking up only two points.
The Londoners are the only unbeaten team in the top division this season and are one point behind leaders Manchester City.
And King said: "Everyone wanted to see how Spurs would bounce back after the end of last season, and I think they've shown they are a team that have to be taken seriously as title contenders.
"I've been very impressed with them so far this season. Even when the team haven't played to their best, they've still managed to find a way to get a result.
"That's what you need to do if you want to be a team that tries to win the league."
Leicester have lost four of their nine matches -- one more defeat than they suffered in the whole of last season, when they took four points off Tottenham.
But King, now an ambassador for Tottenham, said: "The team won't be looking at this game as an opportunity to get one over on them.
"They'll be very focused on the agenda and that is winning games, no matter who they are playing against.
"It's going to be a difficult game. Leicester don't need much of the ball but they're dangerous on the counter so it's not a game we can take lightly."
On Wednesday night, Spurs host Bayer Leverkusen at Wembley in the Champions League, but King stressed that the Premier League was "the bread and butter."
"If you want the opportunity to play in those big games then you've got to do well in the league so it's important their focus is on this game," he added.