Ranking The 30 Tottenham Transfers in the Daniel Levy Era
By Ryan Wrenn
#3 Worst Transfer: Paulinho, Central midfielder
Transfer fee: £17 million
Former club: Corinthians (Brasiliero Serie A)
Years with Spurs: July 6, 2013 — July 1, 2015
Stats: 67 appearances, 10 goals, 7 assists (in all competitions)
When he first arrived at the club, many thought that Tottenham had unearthed a buried treasure in Paulinho. The Brazilian had played in Europe before – albeit Eastern Europe – but had returned home after failing to impress there. At Corinthians, however, he looked to be reborn, and Tottenham saw fit to give him a second chance.
There were, admittedly, a few moments where it looked like Paulinho would live up to his price tag. Much more often however, he looked like he didn’t quite understand where he was supposed to be on the pitch. Was he a midfielder or attacker? Was he supposed to pass or shoot? To be fair, management seemed to be asking themselves these same questions, but that doesn’t defend the fact that Paulinho was not the player Tottenham needed him to be. His second stint in Europe ended about as well as his first.
Next: Worst Transfer: #2