According to The Guardian, Danny Drinkwater might complete a move back to Leicester City in January. The Foxes will face competition from Southampton to acquire the signature of the 28-year-old defensive midfielder.
Drinkwater was a part of Leicester City’s Premier League title-winning team in the 2015/16 season and played a key role in the midfield alongside N’Golo Kante, Marc Albrighton and Riyad Mahrez.
The English international moved to Chelsea for a fee of £35million last season but since then, he has failed to make a significant impact at Stamford Bridge. To make matters worse, he succumbed to a thigh injury midway through the last term. Drinkwater made a total of 12 appearances for the Blues in the Premier League last season but he did play an important role in their triumphant FA Cup campaign where he took the field four times.
Unfortunately for the player, he could not feature in the final against Manchester United due to another injury.
The arrival of Maurizio Sarri has seen the 28-year-old fall out of favour at Stamford Bridge. With Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho in the mix, Drinkwater has slipped further down the pecking order and he has not made a single appearance for the Blues in the ongoing season. The fact that he hasn’t been a part of the matchday squad for any of the games goes to show that he is not in the manager’s plans.
Moreover, Sarri’s attacking style of play won’t suit Drinkwater at all. He is neither agile nor quick with the ball at his feet, making him a dire misfit for the Italian’s philosophy.
On the other hand, Drinkwater was a part of Leicester City for five seasons before moving to Chelsea. Hence, returning to Leicester should be ideal for the central midfielder to resurrect his career. The familiar atmosphere should allow him to settle down easily, especially since he must recover from an injury.
With N’Golo Kante gone, Leicester should welcome Drinkwater back with open arms. He might not be the ideal option to fill Kante’s void but he will certainly provide stability to the midfield with his composure and range of passing. He often keeps the ball moving and uses his vision to find the attackers up front with precise aerial balls.
The Englishman can also drift wide and supply crosses into the box for the likes of Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho. To sum it up, Drinkwater could be the perfect feeder for Vardy, and the partnership that once flourished under Claudio Ranieri could do wonders again for Leicester.
Nampalys Mendy and Wilfred Ndidi have done well for the Foxes this season but adding Drinkwater to the squad could bolster the midfield to a large extent. Not only will it allow Mendy and Ndidi to burst forward with pace and link play with the attackers but it will also have a positive impact on the overall balance of the team.
Hence, a move to Leicester City should be ideal for both parties involved.
