Mauricio Pochettino may have transformed Tottenham into one of the most eye catching teams in the Premier League over the past two seasons, but for all the talent he's assembled since his arrival at White Hart Lane, it's a player the Argentinean manager sold who's now making headlines.
Before Pochettino arrived in North London, Spurs were handed an astronomical £86m for Gareth Bale and promptly set about spending it on a questionable selection of players from around the world.
OK, so Christian Eriksen at £12m represents one of the finest pieces of business Daniel Levy has ever conducted and, in fairness, £30m man Erik Lamela had begun to flourish back into the player he was proving to be at Roma, over the past 18 months, until injury curtailed his progress.
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But the likes of Vlad Chiriches, Etienne Capoue, Roberto Soldado, Nacer Chadli and Paulinho, brought in for a combined £67,500,000 resembled anything but astute business, with Tottenham's 2013/14 campaign under Andre Villas Boas derailing so badly that Tim Sherwood was brought in to perform a rescue act during the second half of the season.
Paulinho and Roberto Soldado share a rare moment of celebration during their ill fated stint at Spurs. Image: PA
Of those 2013 recruits, Paulinho had actually looked like a decent bit of business originally, anchoring the midfield competently enough.
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Then, it quickly went downhill for the Brazilian and Pochettino decided to sell him halfway through the 2014/15 campaign, with Guangzhou Evergrande of the Chinese Super League bringing him on board.
Two years later and Paulinho, once derided as a big money flop at White Hart Lane, is now a regular in Tite's resurgent Brazil national team and last year hit double figures from midfield for Guangzhou, scoring 11 times in 44 appearances.
Even Lionel Messi has had a hard time stopping Paulinho, recently. Image: PA
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It is this renaissance in the Far East that has, remarkably, caught the attention of Bayern Munich manager Carlo Ancelotti, who wants to utilise the 28-year-old's versatility in midfield from next season.
Mohamed Bouhafi, of French media outlet RMC reported the story.
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Paulinho's return to prominence even saw him score a hat-trick against Uruguay in a recent World Cup qualifier.
Will more top European teams begin to be linked with the Brazilian?
(H/T Dream Team FC)
Topics: Football, Bayern Munich
