Paulinho: Absolutely no regrets over Spurs move
Spurs midfielder Paulinho insists he has absolutely no regrets about moving to London despite a disappointing debut season.
The Brazil international joined Tottenham on the back of winning the Bronze Ball at the 2013 Confederations Cup, named the third best player of the tournament.
Paulinho became one of several big-money summer signings made by Andre Villas-Boas, including Roberto Soldado, Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen, as the club splashed more than £100 million following the sale of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid.
Despite a solid start to the campaign, keeping 13 clean sheets in their opening 17 games, Spurs were unable to maintain a challenge for Champions League qualification. They eventually finished in 6th spot, 10 points off the top four.
And Paulinho's campaign suffered a similar tail-off. He netted three times in his first eight games for the club but ended the season with Tim Sherwood, who replaced Villas-Boas in December, challenging the midfielder to 'prove himself' in training.
Nevertheless, the 25-year-old, who has been linked with a transfer to Tottenham's rivals Chelsea after the World Cup, says he has no problem at Spurs.
Speaking exclusively in the June 2014 issue of FourFourTwo, he says: "I don't have any problem. If you take a look, I was on the field in more than half of the games if you consider the Europa League and the cups. There's no big issue with this, but a footballer always wants to be playing, never resting. We Brazilians are like this."
Does he regret moving to London? "Absolutely not. I know how to handle my career and it'll take more than just one bad moment before I reconsider my options. We have all got responsibilities at Tottenham and we are ready to go through this."
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
Read the full interview with Paulinho in the June 2014 issue of FourFourTwo which is a World Cup special, featuring interviews with fellow Samba stars Bernard and Thiago Silva, plus four of England’s lions: Danny Welbeck, Ross Barkley, Jack Wilshere and Raheem Sterling. The magazine also begins its look at the 50 greatest World Cup matches, reveals a 22-step masterplan for England success in 2022 and recalls the Baden-Baden days of the 2006 tournament when the WAGs hit the headlines. Available now in print and in a specially-designed-for-iPad version.
SEE ALSO Thiago Silva: 'Premier League? Honestly, I'm not a big fan'
SEE ALSO Bernard: There were offers from Spurs, Arsenal lacked the money
Gregg Davies is the Chief Sub Editor of FourFourTwo magazine, joining the team in January 2008 and spending seven years working on the website. He supports non-league behemoths Hereford and commentates on Bulls matches for Radio Hereford FC. His passions include chocolate hobnobs and attempting to shoehorn Ronnie Radford into any office conversation.