Tottenham Hotspur allowed Paulinho to leave the club in the summer of 2015.
Paulinho in action for Brazil
Former Spurs flop Paulinho scored a superb hat-trick for Brazil last night, during their 4-1 win over Uruguay in their World Cup Qualifier.
The 28-year-old midfielder is currently plying his trade in China with Guangzhou Evergrande, after spending a miserable two year spell in London.
He was brought in by Andre Villas Boas in the summer of 2013 as part of a huge squad overhaul when Tottenham sold Gareth Bale to Real Madrid.
He went on to make 67 appearances for the Lilywhites, scoring 11 times, but many believe he was not utilised in a manner that extracted the best from him.
Paulinho is now experiencing somewhat of a renaissance in China, and is rebuilding his damaged reputation after leaving White Hart Lane nearly two years ago.
He has once again become an integral part of the Brazilian squad, and his hat-trick last night would have cemented his position within the squad even further.
Paulinho in action during his Spurs days
And with the former Corinthians midfielder in such good form, the question must be asked – did Tottenham give up on Paulinho too soon?
The Brazilian’s playing style would have been ideal for the current Spurs setup, and he would have provided something completely different to the options available to Mauricio Pochettino – if utilised in the right way.
He is a box-to-box type player, similar to Mousa Dembele, but is far more likely to shoot on sight than the Belgian, and will, more often than not, score more goals throughout the course of a season.
His energy levels and drive are impressive, and the kind of form he is showing now will surely make Spurs fans think what might have been.
Tottenham’s current strength makes it hard to argue that they miss anyone they have sold recently other than Gareth Bale, but if Paulinho continues to perform like he has done of late, he must surely go down as one that got away.
Paulinho during his days with Tottenham
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