https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2019/06/18/lack-home-grown-players-leaves-chelsea-facing-huge-champions/amp/

Certain to stay then?

I'm surprised we haven't used him more, he was fantastic alongside Kante when Leicester won the league.

There’s got to be more to it that he was completely frozen out last season beyond Sarri saying he can’t play in a 3 man midfield.

I fully acknowledge he has limitations to his game but could be useful as a squad player.

I can only think it was the club itself that tried to force him out but Drinkwater called their bluff and took home his £100k a week for just doing a few laps of the training ground... good work if you can get it I suppose.

He was a bad buy simple as that. We were desperate for English players and instead of using RLC like we should have we paid massive overs for him.

Sooner we move him on the better for him and us.

10 hours ago, ForeverCarefree said:

There’s got to be more to it that he was completely frozen out last season beyond Sarri saying he can’t play in a 3 man midfield.

I fully acknowledge he has limitations to his game but could be useful as a squad player.

I can only think it was the club itself that tried to force him out but Drinkwater called their bluff and took home his £100k a week for just doing a few laps of the training ground... good work if you can get it I suppose.

Our modern day Winnie B

Prepare yourselves for a Double D resurrection my dudes. 

If we hadnt signed Kovacic, then maybe there wouldve been a chance, but i dont see him getting and more game time this season than he did in the previous 2. 

I cant even see him sticking around for homegrown reasons. 

We have Christiansen, RLC, and Barkley, plus James, CHO, Abraham, and Mount, who are likely to be in the squad. 

We also dont have more than 17 foreign players in the over 21, and thats assuming Bakayoko and Batshuayi stick around. 

Never thought DD got a fair go. Injured when he first arrived and then frozen out virtually sight unseen by Sarri, although Sarri May have watched a lot of video. Now i would say we’ve stuffed his career albeit he gets the money. He should have stayed at Leicester poorer but more fulfilled. Yet another career sacrificed for the big money. 

Edited July 6, 20197 yr by ozboy

He should have done well in a 2 man midfield under Conte, suspect his injuries were still a problem. Perhaps we was bought to play along side his mate Kante yet his injury restricted him and then we started winning without him and he was consigned to the history bin.

I've read that SFL has said he has a clean slate and so a chance pre-season to get in the team if he can step up, if true that seems fair to me.

Kante, Drinkwater, Kovacic, Jorginho. If Frank wants to play 4-2-3-1 then he has four options for the two.

 

That is assuming we don't sell Jorginho.

21 hours ago, Strider6003 said:

I've read that SFL has said he has a clean slate and so a chance pre-season to get in the team if he can step up, if true that seems fair to me.

I think that's about the best Drinkwater could have hoped for.  A clean slate to give him a chance to prove he's worthy of getting a few games this year.  It's up to him at this stage.  If he can put in a good pre-season then there's every chance he can push for a bench spot and some starts in a few cup matches, but even then we have enough central midfielders in the team already that it's going to be hard for him.

Simon Johnson reporting he is staying:

https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/chelsea/danny-drinkwater-set-for-chelsea-stay-after-failing-to-secure-summer-transfer-a4202106.html?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1564565121

No surprises given his wages. Such a disastrous signing. Probably worse than Bakayoko and Morata given they actually played some games... 

I'm surprised that no one has attempted to take him on loan. I couldn't see us standing in his  way if a club offered to pay half his wages to take him away for a season.

Very hard to sell him and by the looks of it he prefers to sit on the bench. He met his peak at Leicester and now he earns top dollar at Chelsea.

He can be good depth if he can accept his role within the squad. There really is no need to completely isolate him from the first team like Sarri did, but at the same time he is 4th choice at best behind Kante, Kova and Jorginho. When we play in a 3 man mid, he falls even further behind RLC, Mason, and Ross. Maybe he can work his way into the squad to give the primary central mids days off against lower competition in the League cup and FA Cup. Maybe a match or two in the Champions League. 

He can be good depth if he can accept his role within the squad. There really is no need to completely isolate him from the first team like Sarri did, but at the same time he is 4th choice at best behind Kante, Kova and Jorginho. When we play in a 3 man mid, he falls even further behind RLC, Mason, and Ross. Maybe he can work his way into the squad to give the primary central mids days off against lower competition in the League cup and FA Cup. Maybe a match or two in the Champions League. 

Just not good enough, tbh. Same as Bakayoko, except he's nearing the end of his career and the other isn't. 

Personally, I'd have kept Ampadu as the out and out defensive midfielder instead of both, giving him.the cup / dead rubber games as a minimum. 

He's already shown he's mature beyond his years and has some tenacity, composure and leadership, is good in the tackle and a decent passer. 

Edited July 31, 20196 yr by GhostOfDembaBa

7 minutes ago, GhostOfDembaBa said:

Just not good enough, tbh. Same as Bakayoko, except he's nearing the end of his career and the other isn't. 

Personally, I'd have kept Ampadu as the out and out defensive midfielder instead of both, giving him.the cup / dead rubber games as a minimum. 

He's already shown he's mature beyond his years and has some tenacity, composure and leadership, is good in the tackle and a decent passer. 

For a potentially world class player in his formative years consistent game time trumps everything else. Ampadu has 3/4 CB's and 3 CM's infront of him, even with Lampard openly keen to give young players chances he will find it hard to give Ampadu consistent minutes of any meaning.

I would much rather make some use of Drinkwater (we're stuck with him) and have him playing the 1 game a month vs Championship oppo than have Ampadu doing that and stagnating in the process.

3 hours ago, Spiller86 said:

Probably worse than Bakayoko and Morata given they actually played some games...

This isn't even close... I mean the discussion on which was worse

your conclusion is spot on..

We got a refund on Morata. We'll come close on Bakayoko. We'll flush about £50M down the drain on Drinkwater. 

I thought he had a good game against Reading, sweeping up all the sh*t whilst playing next to Bakayoko. He can be a good squad player for us and he’s not really standing in the way of any youth players who look ready to make the transition. 

Double post

Edited July 31, 20196 yr by Munkworth
Dodgy work wifi

He and Bakayoko signed in the same window was such a massive waste of money.  WE could have combined that money and gone after someone WC 

I actually don't think he's a bad player, I never have, I thought he was actually good whenever he played in the season we signed him. 

Not worth the money we paid for obviously, but I was surprised to see him completely reserved under Sarri. 

Looks like Lampard have seen enough of him and Bakayoko already.

I actually don't think he's a bad player, I never have, I thought he was actually good whenever he played in the season we signed him. 

Not worth the money we paid for obviously, but I was surprised to see him completely reserved under Sarri. 

Not for a second I thought he was a good player. Well to be exact, good player for Chelsea-level team. When we bought him I thought this is Sidwell mk.2. He has no pace, he can't steal the ball and as a creator he is average. What does he have to offer...? Hope he finds a good club and gets to play football. Chelsea is not his club.