10 most expensive signings by Tottenham Hotspur

#8 Paulinho – €19.73 million

José Paulo Bezerra Maciel Júnior, commonly known as Paulinho, joined Tottenham Hotspurs from the Brazillian side Corinthians on 6 July 2013 for a then club record fee of €19.73 million. The Brazillian midfielder arrived with high expectations having won the Club World Cup, Copa Libertadores and Confederations Cup.

He did not set the world alight initially though but his performances made him Tottenham’s first choice number 8. Both Andre-Villas Boas and Tim Sherwood played the midfielder whenever he was available. But their successor, Mauricio Pochettino, did not rate the Brazillian highly.

Paulinho, playing second-fiddle to academy graduates like Ryan Mason, decided to move on to enhance his career. And thus in June 2015, he signed for Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande, paving the way for many other high profile players moving to China.