Mousa Dembele will now face old Tottenham pal Paulinho in one of China’s fiercest derbies

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Tottenham Hotspur sold Mousa Dembele to Guangzhou R&F in the week. The Belgian midfielder was out of contract at Spurs and had decided he would move on from the club. Tottenham, therefore, cashed in this month, selling the 31-year-old to the Chinese Super League club for a fee in the region of £11 million.

Something of a cult hero with the Tottenham fans his recent injury trouble saw Tottenham content to lose a player that many in the dressing room consider the best at the club.

He will now be playing for the Blue Lions and hoping to help them improve on their 10th-place finish from last term.

At the very least, Guangzhou will want to be the top team in the city. That would mean Dembele getting the better over their more illustrious rivals Guangzhou Evergrande. The most successful side in the league’s history with seven titles finished second last season and are currently managed by Fabio Cannavaro.

One battle that will be particularly interesting to Tottenham fans when the two teams meet in the ‘Canton derby’ will be the one between Dembele and something of a Tottenham flop.

Paulinho is the marquee star of the Evergrande side. The 30-year-old recently made a loan move from Barcelona permanent and the Brazilian international is something of a club legend for the Tigers.

The Brazilian spent two seasons at Tottenham, following a £17 million move from Corinthians. He never settled at White Hart Lane. Often partnering Dembele in midfield, he soon dropped out of the starting XI before making his initial exit to China.

Now the pair will face off in one of China’s fiercest rivalries. Tottenham fans will likely hope Dembele can get the win.