Why I Dug Into Drinkwater’s Story
Noticed his name popping up a lot when I was looking into Chelsea’s weird signings over the years. Felt like everyone kinda forgot about him after he signed? Total mystery man. Wanted to know who this Danny Drinkwater fella really was for Chelsea. Seemed like a proper head-scratcher.
How I Started the Hunt
First thing I did was pull up his old Premier League stats, especially from his Leicester days. Needed to see what the fuss was about back then. Found clips of him playing next to N’Golo Kanté when Leicester did the impossible and won the league. Looked solid! Then hopped over to Transfermarkt just to see his actual numbers:
- Played over 30 games in that title-winning season.
- Scored and assisted a few – not amazing, but definitely a key part of the engine room.
- Kanté got the headlines, but Drinkwater was doing the dirty work.
Made me think, okay, Chelsea paying £35 million for him in 2017 wasn’t completely random. On paper, he was supposed to be that reliable midfielder, maybe even partner Kanté again? Seemed like the plan.
The Shocking Chelsea Reality
This is where my jaw kinda dropped. Started going through Chelsea’s match reports and season reviews from 2017 onwards. Flipping through pages, checking apps… nothing. Hardly any games for Drinkwater. Literally started just 12 Premier League matches in five years at the club! Five years!
Thought my numbers must be wrong. Kept digging. Nope, it was real. Loans? Yeah, a few. Burnley, Villa, Turkey… but it was injury after injury, weird stuff like that infamous training ground fight at Burnley that sent him back early. Just a total mess. Found reports saying he was training with the U23s at Chelsea later on. Imagine that! A £35 million player basically forgotten.
The craziest bit? His wages were insane! Remembered seeing old articles. Rumored to be on £100,000 a week!? Sat mostly on the bench, barely played, but earning top dollar for years. Felt bad for the guy, but also… wow, how did this happen?
Wrapping My Head Around It
After looking at all this, it’s super clear why he’s become this weird footnote in Chelsea history.
- Massive Fee, Zero Impact: That £35m price tag looks wild now for 12 starts.
- Injury Nightmare: His body just gave up on him when he needed it most.
- System Fit? Nah. Whatever Chelsea managers wanted in midfield, Danny clearly wasn’t it after Leicester.
- That Wage Bill… So much money for nothing really happening on the pitch.
Honestly, thinking about him driving around Cobham in fancy cars while not getting near the first team… that image sums it up for most fans, I reckon. More famous for not playing and that huge transfer fee than anything he actually did in blue.
What Did I Learn?
Digging into Drinkwater was a proper lesson in how transfers can just go spectacularly wrong. Leicester’s hero, then Chelsea’s ghost. Shows how injuries can derail everything, and how a big club move doesn’t always work out like players (or clubs!) plan. One of the most baffling chapters in recent Chelsea history, for sure. Glad I finally put the pieces together on this one!
