Leicester City laugh all the way to the bank after £35 million Chelsea mistake | OneFootball

After a fairy tale title campaign with the Foxes, Danny Drinkwater soon found himself glued to the Chelsea bench.

In football, the excitement of a big money transfer rarely lives up to the expectations that inevitably come with a large price tag. In what seemed like a perfect move to Chelsea, Danny Drinkwater struggled for game time and fitness.

At the age of 26, the central midfielder found himself a starter for a Premier League-winning Leicester City side that defied the odds to win the Premier League during the 2015/16 season. He initially joined the Midlands club in 2012 following a move from Manchester United for an undisclosed fee.

A product of their youth academy, his time at The Red Devils was largely spent on loan gaining experience at lower league sides such as Huddersfield Town and Cardiff City. It was the move to Leicester that saw his career begin to take off, establishing himself as a key piece of Nigel Pierson's side that won the Championship, finishing on 102 points during the 2013/14 season.

Riding high off the back of his most successful season up to that point, scoring seven goals and being named to the PFA Championship Team of the Year, the side found themselves struggling in the Premier League. Avoiding the drop by only six points, Drinkwater and Leicester would consider it a successful season with their survival guaranteeing another year of top flight football.

Danny Drinkwater thriving with title-winning Leicester City sparked Chelsea move

The Foxes would record key victories to maintain their status as a Premier League club, including their famous 5-3 win against Drinkwater's former club Manchester United. The midfielder finished the campaign with an impressive 27 appearances in the league.

The following campaign would be the polar opposite of the previous season. Pearson was out, with Italian Claudio Ranieri, now steering the ship. The Foxes would shock the world by winning the title despite the gaping financial disparity between themselves and their competitors.

Drinkwater would feature heavily during this campaign, forming a formidable midfield partnership with Frenchman N'Golo Kante. In 35 Premier League appearances, Drinkwater played over 3,000 minutes, scored three times and assisted a further seven. The likes of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, though, were key contributors to winning the division with their offensive firepower.

Their title hangover would kick in during the 2016/2017 season, however, as the side struggled after the departure of key players that impressed in their historic season. Ranieri was sacked in February and the Midlands side finished the season in 12th position, 36 points fewer than their previous campaign. Leicester's underdogs were soon picked off by their rivals, as high-profile transfers quickly followed.

Drinkwater would continue to impress despite this with a total of 43 appearances over the season, including 10 in the Champions League, and a call-up to the England squad for their World Cup qualifiers. Overall, he made 217 appearances for Leicester between 2012 and 2017 and scored 21 goals for the Foxes before the big boys came calling for him, with a £35 million transfer to Chelsea.

Snapping Chelsea's hand off for the huge transfer fee, Leicester found themselves turning a huge profit on a 27-year-old midfielder that, despite being in his peak, would begin to decline soon thereafter. The sale would be a no-brainer for the Foxes at the time.

The Blues had won the division the previous season under manager Antonio Conte, with the side looking to add depth to their midfield that was brimming with world-class talent, including the likes of Cesc Fàbregas and former teammate Kante. The Englishman looked set to add more top flight trophies to his cabinet. However, his return to a top six side would spell the beginning of the end for his career in the Premier League.

Featuring in a side that were expected to dominate the ball much more than a team like Leicester, Drinkwater struggled to adapt to the level of technical ability required in a Chelsea side that aimed to defend their Premier League title. This differed from the quick, transitional style of play he was used to with The Foxes.

The quality of the reigning Champions' midfield was second to none in the division at the time, which proved to be an obstacle to Drinkwater in terms of getting consistent minutes for the team. This was further worsened by injuries, as he suffered calf and thigh injuries early into his spell with the Blues that limited his involvement.

Danny Drinkwater's struggle at Chelsea as Leicester start to thrive again

The £35 million price tag quickly seemed like a massive overpay from the London-based side, as Leicester shrewdly reinvested the transfer fee. Players such as Adrien Silva (£22m) and Wilfred Ndidi (£15m) filled his role. Silva struggled, but the former enjoyed a successful eight years with the club before departing in 2025.

Ndidi's arrival came a matter of months before Chelsea's big payout for Drinkwater and in the years that followed after, Leicester finished ninth (twice), fifth (twice) and eighth in the Premier League, won the FA Cup and competed in the latter stages of both domestic cup competitions regularly, and in Europe. They quickly forgot their title-winning midfielder, with plenty of cash in the bank.

Chelsea's infamous managerial merry-go-round did not bear fruit for Drinkwater after his initial manager, Conte, was sacked in 2018. Frank Lampard and Thomas Tuchel further failed to find a place for him as he fell out of favor and was sent on loan to top flight clubs Aston Villa and Burnley. Despite this, he still failed to regain his confidence and find his feet post his spell with the Midlands side.

Once his contract expired in 2022, Drinkwater recorded a measly 24 appearances, which is 15 less than he managed in his final season with The Foxes. An FA Cup and Europa League victory in his time with the club may have softened the blow. However, he contributed little to either campaign and did not feature in the match day squad for either final.

Little went right for Drinkwater in his time at Chelsea, yet the part he played in Leicester's success will remain in the memory of Foxes fans, as the broader football world remembers their title as one of the greatest sporting achievements of all time.

Despite 'jumping ship' for a bigger payday, Drinkwater is remembered fondly because of this, with the feeling sweetened by the fact Leicester maximised absolutely everything from the midfielder when it came to his performance levels and market value.