Paulinho Left Barcelona, In Part, Because Valverde Had Lost Confidence in Him

Diario SPORT says this was the primary reason for his exit

Paulinho left Barcelona after just one season to rejoin the team he came from, Guangzhou Evergrande. Why did he leave? Well, the most obvious reason is economic. Reportedly, the Chinese club offered to substantially increase his wages.

But the primary reason, according to Diario SPORT, is that Ernesto Valverde had lost confidence in him. Paulinho’s minutes decreased after the winter break and the arrival of Philippe Coutinho, and he was an unused substitute as Barça crashed out of the UEFA Champions League against AS Roma.

Paulinho’s salary was said to have been increased from 8.5 million euro a year to 15 million a year by Guangzhou Evergrande, and given that he saw less chance to be a protagonist on the pitch, he was more open to economic reasons.

With Barcelona said to be on the verge of bringing another Brazilian, Arthur Melo, and giving more chances to youth product Carles Aleñá, and even rumored to be trying to sign another midfielder such as Adrien Rabiot, Paulinho could have become the forgotten man in the team.

This exit could prove beneficial to all parties.

Source: barcablaugranes.com