All is rosy at Chelsea at the moment as the club continue to thrive under the tutorship of Maurizio Sarri. The Blues are chasing a third Premier League gong in five years, they are on the cusp of breaking a couple of Jose Mourinho records, and are unbeaten in 18 matches spread across all competitions.
But, not every player on the Chelsea roster is enjoying the Sarri-ride.
Step forward from the wilderness Danny Drinkwater, who has cut a forlorn, and even forgotten, figure at the Blues.
The Premier League winner has not yet featured in a competitive match under Sarri – only in the Community Shield – with his last appearance dating back to early March.
It’s abundantly evident that the 28-year-old simply has no hope of breaking into the Italian’s thought-process, a real concern considering that he still has a staggering three-and-a-half years left to run on the five-year contract he penned last year.
Drinkwater, who is on a whopping £90,000 a week, has only a dozen Premier League starts to his name since switch Leicester for London, and just five top-flight starts, contributing one goal, while he’s only played the full 90 minutes in three league games. This equates to £35m a goal, and £7m per league start.
It’s difficult not to feel a shred of sympathy for the Englishman, although if reports are to be believed he’s happy to sit out his contract. He now has two choices; rot in the reserves, or force a move in January, as it’s clear he’s not going to get many, if any, game time this season – he’s not even in Chelsea’s Europa League squad.
Given Drinkwater’s wage, Chelsea would no doubt be willing to cut their losses and let the midfielder depart for a reduced price fee.
Rock-bottom Fulham have been touted as a possible destination, a move which would see Drinkwater reunite with his former Foxes boss Claudio Ranieri, whose famed man-management skills would do wonders for Drinkwater’s confidence, and career.
