Tottenham have completed the signing of Paulinho from Corinthians for £17.1million. Spurs announced the news on Saturday morning after the 24-year-old Brazilian completed his medical at the club.
Paulinho said: 'I am very happy and excited to have joined Spurs. It's a huge pleasure for my career to be at a club as big as Tottenham.
'I know it will be a huge challenge but I think I can help all my colleagues to succeed and give a lot of happiness to the supporters,' he said.
'The training centre is amazing and I'm very impressed about the conditions Tottenham offers to the players. I will focus on my job and use the facility as much as possible.
'We used to watch the Premier League in Brazil - including Tottenham - and this club has big players. I just want to help them to succeed here. It's nice to have another Brazilian in the squad and I'm excited to meet with Sandro and all the players.'
But Paulinho's arrival has left Tottenham defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto a little perplexed.
Assou-Ekotto told Goal.com: ' I don’t know what he looks like. I don’t know him, I don’t follow this kind of news
'It’s like two or three years ago, Rafael van der Vaart was there in training one day. I said hello to him but I didn’t know he was Rafael van der Vaart.
'I don’t understand people who don’t understand me (not showing an interest in football). Most people don’t go back home with their job and it’s the same for me.'
Chelsea midfielder Oriol Romeu has been linked with a season-long loan to Valencia. Sergio Canales has revealed that the defensive midfielder that the Blues signed from Barcelona is considering moving to the Spanish side.
Canales, a Valencia midfielder himself, told Superdeporte: 'I have spoken with Oriol and I say sincerely that he is very taken by the option of Valencia. The squad is perfect for a player to progress (in).'
Rafa Benitez restored his compatriot to the squad but Romeu had a knee operation which kept him out for several months.
Jose Mourinho, who has been linked with a move for Roma hatchet-man Daniele De Rossi, is not thought to be keen on Romeu.
Another player who has struggled with injury at Chelsea, Marko Marin, has been sent on loan to Seville on a year's loan.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers will try to find out from club owner John W Henry if he is prepared to invest in an over-30s player after missing out on top target Henrikh Mkhitaryan who is joining Borussia Dortmund from Shakhtar Donetsk.
Rodgers is interested in Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso who is still revered on Merseyside but £10million for a 31-year-old is against Henry’s model.
The Reds captain Steven Gerrard revealed in November, given the opportunity, he would jump at the chance to bring Alonso back to the club.
'Xabi Alonso - best midfielder I've played with, I miss playing with him,' he wrote.
Liverpool have already signed 32-year-old Kolo Toure this summer, as well as Luis Alberto from Seville, Iago Aspas from Celta Vigo and Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet for a total of around £23million.
But Rodgers has sold Andy Carroll to West Ham for £15.5million, while Jonjo Shelvey has moved to Swansea for £6million.
Monaco have strengthened their midfield by agreeing to buy former France international Jeremy Toulalan from La Liga side Malaga. The 29-year-old, who last played for France in June 2010, has a two-year contract with an option for another year, Monaco said on their website.
Toulalan joined Malaga from Olympique Lyonnais in 2011 and although his season was disrupted by injury, he made an important contribution to the Qatar-owned club's run to the Champions League last eight last term.
"We are very pleased about the arrival of Jeremy," Monaco sporting director Vadim Vasilyev said.
"His qualities and his European and international experience will be a significant asset for the team next season."
Spanish media reported that Monaco had paid Malaga 5 million euros (£4.3 million) for Toulalan with a possible 3 million (£2.6 million) more in variables.
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