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Brazilian midfielder Paulinho has played down talk that he could be heading for the exit door at White Hart Lane this summer.
Preparing for the World Cup finals with Brazil, Paulinho has looked to cool speculation that he could be leaving Tottenham, just 12 months after he arrived from Corinthians.
Following a difficult season, in which Andre Villas-Boas was dismissed and Tim Sherwood' brief stint in charge, Spurs face yet another summer of upheaval following the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino from Southampton – with the club willing to let striker Roberto Soldado return to La Liga.
Paulinho, who signed for £17million last July, has been linked with a cross-London switch to Chelsea, where he would team up with fellow Brazilians Ocsar, Willian and Ramires, but the midfielder insists he is happy at White Hart Lane.
“I had a period when I was on the bench, but it wasn’t a problem for me,” he told reporters.
“At Corinthians, I had to wait for over a year to get in the starting line-up, when the team had the likes of Jucilei and Elias.
“Then, when there was a change of manager, I kept playing and I didn’t have any problems with Tim Sherwood. Since I returned from injury I played three or four games [in a row].
“I then was dropped back to the bench but came back into the line-up for the final six games. There are no problems at all.”
