Danny Drinkwater says he is happy that at the thought that his Chelsea nightmare is over after admitting that he wasted the opportunity to have been his best times as a player.
The 32-year old, who was a pivotal player of Leicester City's winning team in the 2015/16 season relocated from Leicester City to Chelsea on the 17th of January in 2017. The cost was PS35m after signing the five-year deal with the club at Stamford Bridge.
But the move did not pan out for Drinkwater He was in the sand for the majority during his stay at Chelsea and experienced a slowdown in his career with only 23 appearances for the club and scoring only one goal.
These issues are no longer a problem for Drinkwater who was released by Chelsea this summer. spoke exclusively to Sky Sports News Drinkwater, who was a former England international is simply happy with the prospects towards getting his career back in the right direction.
"I'm relieved, because it's clear it wasn't a situation that was good for me or the club," Drinkwater responded after being asked his thoughts on his Chelsea exile.
"I'm angry because of how it's gone and how I was treated - not bitter though, what ifs. It was a long time coming."
Through an acting translator and assistant manager Gianfranco Zola Sarri rather unpretentiously informed the midfielder that he didn't make it into his plans. Sarri then left Drinkwater having an hour in which to search for the right club.
"It got to the last hour of the transfer window and [I] got pulled into the office, not expected at all," Drinkwater says. "'Don't think that you're going to be part of Our plan'. This is Sarri translating through Gianfranco. and I thought "What's the matter?"
"Sarri and I were like a fire-breathing house off the field. On the field we were"crack and cheese. I asked"Why do you tell me this that I have to wait until the window is closed I'm desperate for more time'. He replied, "No, no there's clubs from abroad that you can check out ...'
"My reaction was - 'No, I've got my young son. He is my priority'. So I decided to stay until January."
When asked if he felt as if he's wasted the most productive Five years of his life, Drinkwater stated: "Yeah it's like asking yourself 'why did you throw away in the five years you've had and why?'
"If you'd been at Leicester in the first place, if you weren't injured and when the club didn't treat differently. There are no the ifs. It's a pity, 100. Don't think that I'm not enthralled by the way it's ended. I'm still kicking myself over it. However, on the other hand is the question of whether I'm going to continue to resent myself? since I'm not able to change the situation.
"Can I help myself going forward? That's why I went on loan, why I went to Aston Villa and Burnley on loan, which didn't work, and going to Turkey at the age of 30 - I never thought I'd do that. It's also the reason I dropped down to the Championship. I've been trying to do the right things. As I've tried doing them, something's gone wrong."
"I was lost" - Drinkwater about mental health issues
In the midst of a tough period during the difficult time for Drinkwater at Chelsea the midfielder admitted to struggling with his mental state, particularly when accusations of a secluded life and unhappy not playing were levelled at him.
Did he have a good time 'living his life"? What were the facts? Given his problems on the field, and numerous issues that arose off of it, Drinkwater revealed he was disorientated.
"That's not true," the man declared. "'Living the good life' can last around two weeks. You realize that you're not playing games, you're only training and I can go out with my friends and I'm single. It's amazing, I can do everything. I was enjoying it however, behind the scenes there are always things that take over.
"And as a human being, If you're not willing to talk to the appropriate people, it eats away at your confidence. I didn't realize this until later on in the process. I've always thought "I'm a big, strong guy I can handle this'.
"I was suffering from mental health issues in the year 2019I was suffering from mental health issues in 2019. Nan passed, grandad passed away, my dad was diagnosed with Leukaemia My dog died, and was drinking and driving in a way that was not my style of driving. My mistake was huge error. I was trying to help my son that was going on all the time and was taking its impact on my.
"I think when someone has too much to juggle, it can hit you. And it did hit me. And I was like 'wow', is this what it's come to? And I was lost."
He also said: "When football is going well, everything else seems easier to deal with, but when this isn't going so well, everything seems so heavy. I definitely think that's the lowest I'd been."
If asked if he had was helped, he replied: "I didn't think I was depressed, but I saw the sports psychologist and if I hadn't, I definitely think it could've gone that way because I was just fighting and fighting, and it wasn't helping anybody."
Despite the challenges that confronted Drinkwater in the wake of his Chelsea departure, he is able to begin to look towards the future.
The midfielder played playing in the Sky Bet Championship with Reading where he took part in 32 games. It was a loan period that was instrumental in helping Drinkwater gain confidence and play football again.
"I joined Reading and was hoping to be flying after just eight games. However, after 20 games, I was thinking What's going on? I didn't feel adequately fit and could not keep my focus. I was feeling like I was not really contributing to the team...and I thought "Wow, where has it gone? What's changed?.
"Then you get a feeling back. The last part of last season, it was good. A new gaffer came in, and it was good. He helped me, and I felt I was helping the team. That's probably the first time I'd enjoyed football for years."
What happens the next season? Which stadium will Drinkwater be playing football?
"There are a few offers flying about," the player stated. "It's an interesting time for football, particularly when you're in a position to be free to market.
"That season last year helped me tremendously in having all the games I played and hopefully the second part of the season showed that I still have the potential and desire to push myself to the limit.
"There are options, it's just about the decision. I love winning, so it's a difficult thing to let go at this age."
