Is a Move to Corinthians Right for Tottenham and Brazil Midfielder Paulinho?

It is widely accepted that Tottenham Hotspur blew the Gareth Bale money, compounded by their failure to qualify for Europe's elite club competition, the UEFA Champions League. With a bulging bank balance, the North London outfit promptly went on a splurge your average WAG would be proud of, bringing in a whole host of names that ultimately led to more questions than solutions.

As the various new arrivals lined up for pre-season photos in the summer of 2013, the phrase “seven hamburgers don’t make a steak” came to mind, and their shopping spree has subsequently gone on to prove that stockpiling numbers can be far less effective than the acquisition, or possession of, one world-class game changer. Liverpool appear to have fallen into the same track this season following the exit of Luis Suarez.

One player who has fallen far down the White Hart Lane pecking order is midfield-engine Paulinho.

A £17 million signing 18 months ago, the Brazil international has not made a single Premier League start this term, instead being used primarily in the Thursday night specials in the Europa League.

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Per Whoscored.com stats, three of his last 10 outings have lasted less than 10 minutes. It is a remarkable fall for a player who was a key feature in Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Confederations Cup success, and also featured heavily at last year’s main event.

Prior to pitching up in London, the midfielder had struck up an effective midfield partnership at Brazilian outfit Corinthians with holding man and enforcer Ralf. Together, they lifted the 2011 Campeonato Brasileiro, the 2012 Copa Libertadores and helped defeat Chelsea in the FIFA Club World Cup.

Those major triumphs of course came under the tutorship of Tite, now back at the helm of the Corinthians ship. And he has, according to Globo Esporte (link in Portuguese), requested the return of Paulinho, dragging him out of his White Hart Lane misery.

But is the move a beneficial one for the 26-year-old? The midfielder has clearly failed to settle in London. Barely had he unpacked his bags before he was being linked with moves away from the Champions League-aspiring side.

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But the calibre of club with which he has been linked is significantly different. Not so long ago Paulinho was rumoured to be pitching up at the likes of title-chasing AS Roma, or European champions Real Madrid, as reported by The Daily Telegraph just 12 months previously.

A move back to the Paulista club—who have secured Libertadores football for the 2015 season—so soon after his multi-million pound transfer would surely register as an enormously disappointing failure on the part of the Brazilian, in not managing to make his mark on one of Europe’s most competitive leagues.

Mauricio Pochettino has evidently decided he can do without the energetic middle man, whose total football played this season amounts to less than five full games, looking again at those Whoscored.com stats.

For a player approaching his prime, and with as much potential as Paulinho possesses, that is simply not enough. He has recently been linked with a move to Inter Milan, per The Daily Mirror, a club whose drastic fall mirrors that of their transfer target.

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But one would imagine a move to the Arena Corinthians would be more appealing, and the Timao would have an edge even over reigning Brasileirao champions Cruzeiro, also linked with the player according to Globo Esporte (link in Portuguese), in repatriating the Selecao international.

The aforementioned Globo (link in Portuguese) article also references that the player remains in contact with several players at the club, something which indicates that his heart remains in Sao Paulo.

Regaining the confidence and momentum he had previously built could be his ticket back into the international fold. He started every game at the FIFA World Cup bar the semi-final defeat to Germany, despite not playing regular football under former Spurs boss Tim Sherwood, and it is entirely feasible his confidence has been shot to bits as his role at the Premier League club has diminished.

In the same way it is hoped that a move back to Vicente Calderon will help to rejuvenate the once venomous Fernando Torres, perhaps a similar switch can help Paulinho find his lungs again, not to mention a role in Dunga’s Brazil plans for the Copa America.

It may be an admission of failure for the time being, but in this instance one step back could end up meaning two steps forward.