Chelsea had quite a torrid season last term despite ending the season with some silverware but a fifth-place finish in the Premier League meant that the Blues will play in the Europa League this season. The poor campaign cost Italian manager Antonio Conte his job and the club hired Maurizio Sarri from Napoli. There were a string of players who were linked with leaving Chelsea following Conte’s departure but Chelsea sold the only major player in the form of Thibaut Courtois. But one player who was bound to exit the West London giants was Danny Drinkwater and although he remained in the summer, Drinkwater is poised to leave Chelsea in the winter transfer window.
Drinkwater began his professional career at Manchester United but did not get even a single appearance for the Red Devils. He was sent out on loan during several seasons during Sir Alex Ferguson’s era until finally completing a switch to Leicester City back in 2012. The midfielder slowly rose to prominence guiding the Foxes into the Premier League and was a key member of the Leicester side that shocked the world when they won the Premier League title back in 2015-16. Drinkwater partnered N’golo Kante, Marc Albrighton, and Riyad Mahrez in midfield to guide Leicester City to the Premiership. Stellar midfield performances from Drinkwater earned him a national call-up of the England squad in the following year in 2016.
A disappointing drop in the following season for Leicester in the Premier League under Claudio Ranieri got the manager the sack and Drinkwater left the club in the summer of 2017 to join the Blues.
Chelsea splashed £35m on Drinkwater for the Englishman’s services but he barely managed to get any game time due to the presence of Kante, Cesc Fabregas, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Ross Barkley. After Maurizio Sarri has guided Chelsea to the joint top spot in the league, Drinkwater has not managed to get any football and does not fit into the Italian’s style of play. His hard-working nature is seemingly not a viable option for Sarri and a move for Drinkwater looks imminent in the upcoming transfer window.
The 28-year-old Drinkwater has already had the experience of playing top-level football with Chelsea and won a Premier League title with Leicester City. And any mid-table club would be a perfect match for Drinkwater who is desperate for some footballing minutes. South coast club Southampton were the highly linked club to Drinkwater considering their midfield struggles and Drinkwater’s signing could be the way up in the Premier League after a stuttering start. But all signs point towards Drinkwater heading towards a Stamford Bridge exit in the January transfer window with Sarri wanting nothing to do with the Englishman.