Chelsea Boss Ready To Make Drinkwater Transfer Decision

TONY BANKS

Chelsea boss, Maurizio Sarri, is ready to let misfit midfielder Danny Drinkwater go out on loan in the next two weeks if an European side come in for him.

New Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri’s signings of Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic have further limited Drinkwater’s chances of breaking into the team this season.

He was a target for his old club Leicester, West Ham and Crystal Palace during the English transfer window which shut on August 9.

And Chelsea are willing to let him go before the August 31 European deadline – if they get a loan fee up front for the former England midfielder.

On Monday, former Monaco midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko joined AC Milan on a year’s loan with a view to a permanent transfer.

But Chelsea had to subsidise some of the French player’s wages in order to facilitate the move.

On Saturday, as Chelsea won their opening Premier League game of the season, Sarri’s midfield consisted of Jorginho, N’Golo Kante and Ross Barkley. Cesc Fabregas was injured, and loanee Kovacic not yet ready. Ruben Loftus-Cheek came on as a late substitute.

Chelsea appear to want to hold on to England midfielder Loftus-Cheek, who also wants to stay and fight for his place, so Drinkwater could be the man to be sacrificed.

The 28-year-old joined Chelsea in a £35million deal last summer, but had a dismal season, starting only five league games.

Chelsea boss Sarri is spoilt for choice in midfield following the arrivals of Mateo Kovacic from Real Madrid on loan and Jorginho from Napoli.

And former Blue Pat Nevin believes with the latter, and N’Golo Kante, ‘undroppable’, the other players in his ranks face a tough task each week in trying to get into the starting XI.

“Talking of Ross Barkley, it brings back the discussion of what will be the manager’s first-choice midfield three as the season develops?,” Nevin wrote for Chelsea’s official website.

“N’Golo Kante, obviously, is undroppable in any shape or form and Jorginho is the gaffer’s man, so should get an initial run in the team.

“That leaves Cesc Fabregas, Barkley, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Danny Drinkwater and now Mateo Kovacic all fighting for that one spot.

“There is even the possibility that if you play [Eden] Hazard and Willian wide up front, Pedro might stick his oar in for that particular berth.

“I mentioned this last week and have been ruminating on it ever since.

“The short answer is that the manager can adapt and change for different games and the different styles of teams we are up against.

“Whether it is home or away might also have an effect.”