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The curious case of Paulinho: the £17m midfielder we never really saw

mawspurs

Staff
Jun 29, 2003
35,066
17,738
Paulinho’s arrival was hailed as a coup by Tottenham but two years later there is a general acceptance that Daniel Levy did remarkably well to get £10m for him. What went wrong?

Read the full article at Guardian
 

greywizard2020

Well-Known Member
Jun 9, 2003
331
709
I can't help but think that if I shelled out £17million on a player I would expect a little more than a steady 'six or seven' rating. I think its a rather sympathetic piece that masks the very real problem that he was unable to adapt to a high-pressing style that his younger peers seemed to be more adept at adopting.

It is a shame. I wanted him to succeed, but he was not the player I hoped for
 

Ionman34

SC Supporter
Jun 1, 2011
7,182
16,793
Strange really. I got the feeling that he never had the stomach for it after getting crocked by Adam was it?

I could well be wrong, but I reckon the reason we never saw his best was simply fear.
 

Dave-F

Amused, bemused and confused. Where's the coffee?
Feb 26, 2004
2,709
715
After the World Cup fiasco he just seemed to lose heart really. Shame. Could have been a great player.
 

Jadon Benjamin

Active Member
Aug 30, 2013
601
544
Strange really. I got the feeling that he never had the stomach for it after getting crocked by Adam was it?

I could well be wrong, but I reckon the reason we never saw his best was simply fear.
That game he was on fire. I remember him juggling the ball through the Stoke players. Actually sat there in aww? Then that raccoon fetus Charlie Adam gon' done him in :(
 

slartibartfast

Grunge baby forever
Oct 21, 2012
18,320
33,955
Hmmm? Sorry, not sure what some of you guys saw but I never saw anything to make me think he was a player.
Ericson. Yep
Chadli. Yep
Bentaleb. Yep
Pritchard. Yep
Mason. Yep

All ball players who can DO something.
Sorry Clive, not for me.
 

Ionman34

SC Supporter
Jun 1, 2011
7,182
16,793
That game he was on fire. I remember him juggling the ball through the Stoke players. Actually sat there in aww? Then that raccoon fetus Charlie Adam gon' done him in :(

That's the one. I remember loads on here waxing lyrical about him after that game and looking forward to seeing more of it. Unfortunately we never did, not even a glimpse, which is what really has me believing that he was living in fear of the next player giving him a whack for showing flair.

Norman Hunter was famous for that sort of tactic. If anyone went past him with a bit of flair, he'd applaud them for it, then advise that if they tried it again he'd cut them in half. Then he'd back it up.

Many forwards lost their bottle as a result. I have the feeling that after getting crocked by Adam, he was expecting this in every game if he got forward. Hence the amount of time he'd spend picking the ball up from deep and laying it off rather than driving forward and welcoming a foul for the goal scoring opportunity.

The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that it was fear that held him back. If I am correct, then offloading him is exactly what was needed. Lack of backbone has been a problem for us in the past, so no matter how much talent is there, that lack of testicular fortitude provides far more negative than the positive the talent provides.
 

Japhet

Well-Known Member
Aug 30, 2010
19,232
57,385
He played one season looking like he didn't want to get injured before the World Cup but carried on playing the same way after it. Scored a few but bottled far too many tackles and passing was very average. Expected masses more from him.
 
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