Two years ago, Paulinho was on top of the world. When Argentinean playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme called Paulinho a ‘phenomenon’ and likened the Brazilian as the ‘black’ version of Frank Lampard for their similar box-to-box style of play, the 26-year-old simply took on board the comparison with little fuss, pledging to such a comparison as fuel for greater things.
“This comparison is a responsibility that I will take, I will not run away from it. Lampard is a great player…I intend to follow in his footsteps as he is a very professional guy. I’ve always looked at what Lampard does and to me he is a huge phenomenon. The way he hits the ball, what positions he takes up, he really is incredible.”
But following two seasons in England’s top flight, Paulinho has completed an astonishing move to Guangzhou Evergrande – the cash rich reigning Chinese Super League champions who are chasing their fifth consecutive domestic title and a second Asian Champions League title for a second time in three years – for £10m.
Not only does he leave England with his previously glorified reputation in shatters, but also 169 goals short of Frank Lampard’s goal tally in the English Premier League and 93 assists behind the Chelsea legend.
His departure for an a eight figure sum, though, seems to have been met with such delight from Tottenham’s faithful so much so that Daniel Levy has, momentarily at least, regained the trust of the club’s supporters. While the transfer fee highlights Guangzhou’s financial might, and Luiz Felipe Scolari’s power in negotiations, a £7m loss from their initial purchase of £17m seems to be a big win for the club especially given that the player has largely been underwhelming at the White Heart Lane.
Read the rest of my article for EPL Index
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