Brazil star has fond Spurs memories as he explains Prem woes

Former Tottenham midfielder Paulinho insists he does not have a bad word to say about his time in North London – despite admitting it was a “difficult period” in his career.

Paulinho joined Spurs in 2013, but left just two years later after scoring just 10 goals in 67 games, and having largely been considered a big-money flop at White Hart Lane.

Since then, the midfielder has completed a move to Barcelona and is now a vital member of the Brazil side as they bid to continue their World Cup adventure with success against Mexico on Monday.

It is a remarkable career turnaround for the midfielder, whose reputation took a battering at Tottenham.

He insists that, despite his struggles, he holds nothing against the club.

“I would like to clear up something about my time at Spurs,” he told The Players’ Tribune. “I really cannot say a bad word about the club or the staff or the president.

“It is true that it was a very difficult period for me as a player, and there were times when I did not want to leave my apartment in London because I was so stressed about not playing. For a footballer, not playing is like a fish not being in the water. I felt as though I were suffocating.

“For whatever reason, I was not in Mauricio Pochettino’s plans. I didn’t fit his philosophy, I guess. But we never even had a disagreement.

“One day, I went to the club president and told him that if they got an offer close to what they paid for me, that I would like to move on. They were very professional about it.

“In the summer, Tottenham got a permanent offer from Guangzhou Evergrande, and I thought, “Why not?”’

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