Paulinho linked with loan move back to Corinthians

The January transfer rumor mill continues to grind pretty fine, and it's only October. Today, a fresh report from the Evening Standard suggests that Paulinho's old club Corinthians may be interested in re-acquiring the Brazilian's services on loan when the transfer window opens.

Pity poor Paulinho. He was signed under Andre Villas-Boas for a (then) club record transfer fee of £17m, but has put in consistently underwhelming performances for Spurs. He's currently not in Mauricio Pochettino's favor and is nowhere near the first team. He's featured in Europa League matches and the League Cup thus far but that's pretty much it.

Spurs are in a bit of a bind with Paulinho - if they sell him they'll likely take a huge loss, but he's reportedly on £70k/week wages, and that's quite a bit for a guy who doesn't feature that much. £17m is a lot of money for a Brazilian club like Corinthians, so a loan back to Brazil might make a lot of sense for all parties. Spurs clear out some/all of his wages in the short term, and Corinthians get their former player back. Who knows, a stint in Brazil might re-ignite Paulinho's confidence and form, both for Tottenham and for the Brazilian national team.

It's still very early on to say that this is a thing that could happen, but at least on the surface this doesn't seem at all like a crazy idea.