Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao complete signing of Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Paulinho

Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao have completed the signing of Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Paulinho.  The Brazil international – capped 32 times since debuting in 2011 – is believed to have agreed a four year contract with the Chinese Super League outfit. Evergrande are expected to pay around €14 million for Paulinho, whose arrival takes the number of […]
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sambafoot_admin
2015-06-29 19:16:00

Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao have completed the signing of Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Paulinho. 

The Brazil international – capped 32 times since debuting in 2011 – is believed to have agreed a four year contract with the Chinese Super League outfit.

Evergrande are expected to pay around €14 million for Paulinho, whose arrival takes the number of Brazilian players in Head Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari’s squad up to five.

Already this year, Ricardo Goulart was signed from Cruzeiro for a reported fee of €15 million in January, while another forward, Alan, was secured from Red Bull Salzburg for around €12 million in the same month.

Those two, Paulinho, and midfield duo Elkeson and Renê Júnior, complete the Brazilian contingent, with the rest of Scolari’s squad made up of Chinese players.

For Paulinho, this move brings to an end a frustrating spell with Tottenham. After arriving from Corinthians for a reported fee of €19.73 million in July 2013, the 26 year-old has struggled to make an impression.

His maiden campaign yielded an admittedly respectable return of six goals in 30 Premier League appearances, but last season he featured just 15 times in the same competition and failed to net.

Paulinho’s reputation is largely built on his time at Corinthians. With them, he won four major honours, including arguably the three biggest trophies the club can win, in the Brasileirão (2011), FIFA Club World Cup (2012) and Copa Libertadores de América (2012).

The Timão were one of a number of teams said to be keen on signing him from Tottenham in the summer transfer window, while Watford were believed to have held talks not long before the move to Guangzhou was confirmed.