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Former Chelsea midfielder Danny Drinkwater has revealed the details of his meeting with former Blues boss Maurizio Sarri. The Italian coach told him he was no longer needed at Stamford Bridge in the final hours of the 2018 summer transfer window.
Having won the Premier League title at Leicester City, the midfielder joined Chelsea for £35 million (per BBC Sport) on a five-year deal in 2017.
Drinkwater endured a miserable time in West London as he failed to make a single Premier League appearance after his first year at the club. It did not change for better in the following seasons. Over the course of his five years at Stamford Bridge, the player went on four separate loan spells away from the club.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the former England midfielder revealed the devastating conversation he had with then-manager Sarri, who informed him in the final hour of the 2018 summer transfer window that he was surplus to requirements at Chelsea. Drinkwater claimed:
"It got to the last hour of the transfer window and [I] got pulled into the office, not expected at all. 'Don't think you're going to be in our plans'. This is Sarri, being translated by Gianfranco (Zola). And I was like what?"
He went on:
"Sarri and I got on like a house on fire off the pitch. On the pitch, we were like chalk and cheese. I was like - 'why are you telling me now? An hour before the window closes? I need time'. He replied, 'No, no, we've got clubs abroad you can look at…' My reaction was - 'No, I've got my young son. He is my priority'. So I decided to stay until January."
Drinkwater feels he's "thrown those five years away" at Chelsea
In total, the former Manchester United youth academy graduate played just 13 times during his half-decade at Stamford Bridge. He now openly admits that he has thrown away the best years of his career.
The 32-year-old stated:
"Yeah, it feels like 'what have you thrown those five years away?' If you'd stayed at Leicester, if you didn't get injured and if the club treated you differently. They're all ifs. It's frustrating, 100 per cent. Don't think I'm still not burning about how it's gone. I still kick myself for it. But on the other side, am I going to keep kicking myself, because I can't change it."
He added:
"Can I help myself going forward? That's why I went on loan, why I went to Aston Villa and Burnley on loan, which didn't work, and going to Turkey at the age of 30 - I never thought I'd do that. It's also the reason I dropped down to the Championship. I've been trying to do the right things. As I've tried doing them, something's gone wrong."
