Reigning Chinese Super League champions have announced the signing of Brazil midfielder Paulinho from Tottenham Hotspur, with the former Corinthians player signing for a fee of €14 million and signing a four-year contract.
The figure falls just short of the club record €15 million spent this January on compatriot Ricardo Goulart.
Paulinho, 26, joined Tottenham in 2013 with a glowing reputation as a box-to-box midfielder after a fine spell at Corinthians. However, despite eight goals in his first Premier League season failed to meet the White Hart Lane club’s requirements.
However, with 32 caps and five goals for Brazil he ranks alongside the likes of Didier Drogba as one of the biggest signings in CSL history.
At the Cantonese club he will now link up with former international manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, as well as countrymen Goulart, Elkeson and Alan as Evergrande continue to spend significant sums on Brazilian talent.
Paulinho will replace departing midfielder Rene Junior in the club’s registered squad for the remainder of the league season. For the time being, he will wear shirt number 48 in the CSL.
With Corinthians, Paulinho won both the Copa Libertadores and World Club Cup in 2012 before joining Spurs the following summer following success with his national side at the Confederations Cup.
Having fallen behind the likes of Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb in the Tottenham pecking order, though, he has been allowed to leave this summer with Evergrande fending off a rumoured offer from Watford to secure his signature.
Currently two points off the summit of the CSL as they search of their fifth consecutive league title, Evergrande recently parted ways with Italian manager Fabio Cannavaro. The decision brought Scolari to the helm at Tianhe Stadium and saw the club decide to bring in a big name midfielder to assist the World Cup winner in his task.
Wow! Good business by Levy.
Thanks Hengda for taking this lemon off the books for Spurs. I hope he finds his mojo in China because he never really had it in England.