Paulinho – Corinthians to Tottenham Hotspur
Summer international tournaments are often key reasons for certain transfer deals stalling and this year’s Confederations Cup has been the main culprit this time around.
The edging of Paulinho from Corinthians to Tottenham Hotspur has been gradual, but the end of the tournament this weekend has meant that a deal can now be completed over the next couple of weeks.
At the beginning of the tournament the player had insisted that he wasn’t going anywhere, and not even the mighty Real Madrid could convince him to change his mind. “All I am hearing is blah, blah, blah. My agent is in London right now, but he is not discussing me – he has other clients,” he had said.
A week later he’d changed his tune; “It’s not true about Real Madrid, the only offer that has come is from Tottenham,” he claimed, each time suffixed with the phrase ‘only after the Confederations Cup.’
However, he has now admitted that a move to Tottenham would be a ‘dream come true,’ “It is important for the team and for the Brazilian fans that at the moment all my focus is on winning the Confederations Cup,” he said, according to the Daily Mirror. “But after the tournament is finished I hope it is a deal that can get finalised quickly.”
“To play in England for a great team like Tottenham is a dream,” he added. “What I respect about Tottenham is the ambition they have shown.
“This summer there has been interest in their coach [Villas Boas] and their best player [Gareth Bale] – and they have been clear they are both not going anywhere.”