Barcelona midfielder Paulinho has insisted that he will to see out his four-year contract with the club, and has praised Philippe Coutinho for making the ‘great decision’ to leave Liverpool for La Liga.

In an interview with Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, the former Spurs flop spoke of his determination to build upon his impressive start to his career with the Catalan giants, after turning around his reputation as a laughing stock to that of a quality midfielder. Paulinho said:

“I have four years of contract in Barcelona, and at the end I’ll be 32 or 33. I want to take advantage of the years I have at Barcelona and I do not see another place where I can be better.”

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The powerful Brazilian also expressed his happiness with his international teammate Philippe Coutinho joining him at Barça – contending that the 25-year-old had made the right decision to leave his former club Liverpool.

“He (Coutinho) is very happy,” he said. “Many people asked me if I talked with him. We spoke a few times while he was deciding if he would join Barcelona. But we rarely messaged each-other as it is a very personal moment for him. Imagine how many people were talking to him, wondering if he would stay at Liverpool or leave.

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“I don’t like to bother people. In the end, it was a great decision and he will be very happy. First for the potential he has, and secondly for the great person he is.”

After recovering from a hamstring injury, Coutinho is in Ernesto Valverde’s squad to face Espanyol in the Copa del Rey quarter-final second-leg on Thursday evening. Barça won the first leg 1-0, and will be hopeful that Coutinho’s involvement in the game could be the extra boost they need to see them progress to the semi-final of the domestic cup competition.

I?t has also been revealed that Coutinho will wear the number 14 shirt for his new club – following in the footsteps of the likes of Johan Cruyff and Thierry Henry. The former Inter man will be eager to make an impact at the club, after finally getting his dream move to Barça.

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