Moussa Sissoko’s Tottenham turnaround may be down to Paulinho

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Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Moussa Sissoko has enjoyed something of a renaissance at the club in recent months.

The 2016 signing from Newcastle United has, largely, had a poor stint with the north Londoners following his £30 million move from St. James’ Park (BBC Sport).

Too often in the past, Sissoko has failed to have enough of an impact on games.

He had shown himself to be clumsy on the ball, and not particularly great at anything.

But this season, the Frenchman has really turned things around, and recent injuries to Victor Wanyama and Mousa Dembele have allowed him more game time.

Sissoko now looks like a real player for Spurs; a driving force in midfield that not many people saw coming based off his early showings.

Sissoko turnaround thanks to Paulinho?

Obviously something has clicked in Sissoko’s head this season.

His upturn in form might well have had something to do with former Spurs midfielder Paulinho.

The Brazilian is widely considered one of the club’s worst buys ever, and is the benchmark for underperforming players.

Perhaps Sissoko was desperate not to be considered worse than Paulinho, who spent two seasons at White Hart Lane.

The 2013 signing from Corinthians was a record buy for £17 million, and majorly underwhelmed in English football. He was sold to Chinese Super League outfit Guangzhou Evergrade for £10 million, somehow.

In the summer of 2016, Spurs smashed their transfer record again on another midfielder in Sissoko.

At times it looked like the Frenchman would go the same way as Paulinho.

But perhaps the fear of being labelled a greater flop than him was what inspired him to improve.