Chelsea man facing impending exit labels career a ‘shambles’ in escape plea
Reading’s on-loan Chelsea midfielder Danny Drinkwater has declared that his career at the Blues, which is finally approaching its end, has proved a “shambles”.
The 31-year-old had enjoyed a fantastic time at Leicester after leaving Manchester United in 2012. In fact, he earned promotion with the Foxes and then won the Premier League title.
Following another solid season in the top flight, then-Chelsea boss Antonio Conte snapped him up in 2017.
However, Drinkwater has only made 23 appearances for the London club in his just over four years there. Indeed, only 12 of those have come in the Premier League.
In between, he has spent time on loan at Aston Villa, Burnley and Turkish side Kasimpasa. However, a nightclub incident at Burnley and a training-ground bust-up at Villa have marred those spells.
This term, Drinkwater has moved to Championship side Reading on loan and made his debut in last Saturday’s 2-1 win over Fulham.
Speaking about his career at the Blues, the Englishman told talkSPORT: “Can I paint a picture? No. It’s been a shambles.
“It’s football, it’s never straightforward, it’s never simple. I’m just excited for the new challenges. I need to [kick-start my career]. I’m more excited about this than I have been for a few years now, especially how my career’s panned out.
“Games, getting the enjoyment of football back, then going from there. A few have slid away, I’ve made mistakes, I’ve not played.
“I’m in the last year of my contract, so there’s more than just football riding on it. I’ve got other things.”
Drinkwater is not only looking to rediscover his form, but knows that he needs to focus on building and maintaining relationships with his team-mates and coaches.
Drinkwater eyeing better loan spell
“I’m desperate for games, I know my position and I know it’s not what I’ve expected for ten years,” he added.
“So I’ve got to make changes and I’m making the right steps.
“I’ve just got to keep in contact with the manager, trust each other and trust the team. Hopefully they trust me and we can build on that.”
Reading have made a mixed start to the Championship season, winning three, losing four and drawing one of their eight games so far.
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