Paulinho was Spurs' third most expensive signing amidst a flurry of transfer activity last summer, costing £17 million from Corinthians in his homeland of Brazil. The midfielder had a mixed first season, ranging from giving some anonymous performances to giving some where he looked like a world beater (against Stoke City, for example, he looked incredible) and he scored six league goals. He had a torrid World Cup this summer - with his own fans turning on him in favour of Fernandinho, after Luiz Felipe Scolari had been playing him instead of the Manchester City man - and will hopefully use that as further incentive to prove himself in the Premier League and improve on last season. At his best, Paulinho could be a key player for Spurs, providing the same kind of influence and goalscoring threat that Frank Lampard did at Chelsea for so long, but he does run the risk of losing his place completely, in what is a very competitive midfield at the club, unless he maintains a level of consistency.
