Dannywater speaks on how he left Chelsea

Former Chelsea midfielder Danny Drinkwater in a recent statement has opened up on how he left the club during the reign of former coach Maurizio Sarri.

Dannywater said he was given an hour to leave Chelsea at the end of the 2018 summer transfer window.

The midfielder, who recently ended a five-year period at Stamford Bridge, either spent the majority of his time out of favour or away on loan from the club.

Although Chelsea signed him for a fee in the region of £35m in 2017, he didn’t represent the West Londoners since August 2018.

Speaking to Sky Sports News, Drinkwater spoke about how he was working to impress Sarri.

The 32-year-old said: “It got to the last hour of the transfer window and [I] got pulled into the office, not expected at all. ‘Don’t think you’re going to be in our plans’. This is Sarri, being translated by Gianfranco [Zola]. And I was like ‘what?’

“Sarri and I got on like a house on fire off the pitch. On the pitch, we were like chalk and cheese. I was like – ‘why are you telling me now? An hour before the window closes? I need time’. He replied, ‘No, no, we’ve got clubs abroad you can look at’

“My reaction was – ‘No, I’ve got my young son. He is my priority’. So I decided to stay until January.”