What Happened to Danny Drinkwater Footballer Career After Chelsea Transfer?
I remember watching Danny Drinkwater lift the Premier League trophy with Leicester City in 2016, thinking this was just the beginning of something special. The midfield dynamo had been instrumental in one of football's greatest underdog stories, forming that remarkable partnership with N'Golo Kanté that seemed destined for greatness. Yet when he followed Kanté to Chelsea in a £35 million transfer in 2017, few could have predicted how dramatically his career would unravel. What followed was a textbook case of how wrong a high-profile transfer can go, and I've often wondered how different things might have been had he stayed at Leicester or joined another club better suited to his style.
The Chelsea move immediately felt off, if I'm being honest. Drinkwater started just 12 Premier League matches in his first season, largely playing second fiddle to Kanté and Cesc Fàbregas despite the substantial transfer fee. Manager Antonio Conte clearly didn't rate him as highly as his Leicester form suggested he deserved, and when Maurizio Sarri took over, things went from bad to worse. Sarri's system required a deep-lying playmaker in the Jorginho mold, which simply wasn't Drinkwater's game. I've always felt managers failed to recognize that his effectiveness came from being part of specific systems rather than being a standalone superstar. His confidence visibly eroded with each passing month on the bench, and that £120,000-a-week contract quickly began to look like an albatross around his neck rather than a reward for past achievements.
What followed was a series of loan moves that read like a tour of footballing disappointments. Burnley, Aston Villa, Kasımpaşa in Turkey, and Reading – none provided the fresh start he desperately needed. At Burnley, he managed just one appearance before a training ground incident reportedly saw him headbutt a teammate. His time at Villa was marred by that infamous nightclub incident where he was assaulted, leaving him with ankle ligament damage. These off-field troubles became as much a part of his story as his footballing decline, creating a vicious cycle where personal struggles impacted his professional availability and vice versa. I can't help but think the psychological toll of going from Premier League champion to footballing nomad must have been devastating.
The physical setbacks were equally cruel. A serious ankle injury in 2018 required surgery and kept him out for months, just when he might have had opportunities during Chelsea's congested fixture periods. Later, various muscle injuries limited his playing time during loan spells, preventing him from building any momentum. When I look at his trajectory, it's clear that both his body and mind were working against him simultaneously – the perfect storm for a career derailment. Modern football offers little patience for players struggling on both fronts, regardless of their past achievements.
Now, at 34, he finds himself without a club since his short-term contract with Reading ended in 2023. It's a sobering thought that a player who once controlled midfields against Europe's best now can't find a Championship side willing to take a chance. The contrast with his former teammate Kanté, who recently moved to the Saudi Pro League and continues to perform at high levels, couldn't be more striking. Their careers represent two diverging paths from that Leicester triumph – one toward global recognition and continued success, the other toward obscurity and what-ifs.
Interestingly, while researching this piece, I came across a scheduling note that got me thinking about second chances in different contexts. On May 21, the defending champions travel to Ynares Center in Antipolo to take on Blackwater and then battles NLEX on the 24th at the Philsports Arena. This basketball schedule in the Philippines reminded me that sports careers can follow dramatically different trajectories depending on environment, timing, and fit. While Drinkwater's European career appears finished, perhaps there are leagues elsewhere – like the Philippine Basketball Association equivalent in football – where his experience could still add value, even if at a different level than he once graced.
Reflecting on Drinkwater's journey, I'm struck by how fragile football careers can be. One wrong move, one injury, one managerial change can alter everything. His story serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of fit over prestige, of playing time over paycheck, of continuity over glamour. While we'll always have those magical memories of his Leicester days, his career after Chelsea represents one of modern football's more poignant declines – a reminder that talent alone cannot guarantee longevity in this brutal sport.