Danny Drinkwater has revealed his relationship with Antonio Conte soured toward the end of their one season together at Chelsea, with his lack of minutes playing alongside N’Golo Kante at the heart of the matter. The ex-Leicester City midfielder discussed the situation in an interview with David Ornstein of The Athletic.
Conte signed Drinkwater for £35m in 2017, reuniting him with Kante, his midfield partner during Leicester’s 2015/16 title triumph. Drinkwater played 522 minutes in the Premier League, in 12 appearances, while Kante played 2,998 minutes in 34.
Drinkwater looked back at the friction he experienced with his Italian manager in the 2017/18 campaign, saying:
“We kind of butted heads towards the end, just on the whole, why have I not played as much as before, with Kante. That’s what you brought me to the club for, kind of thing.
“We played, I think we played one game together, which is madness. But again, by the by, that was just kind of a conversation me and the manager had, so nothing really there.”
Drinkwater also criticised the way Chelsea handled Conte’s dismissal, claiming the episode was subsequently used against him, but did not elaborate. Conte was sacked 55 days after the FA Cup final win over Manchester United, with the club confirming the departure on 13 July 2018.
Antonio Conte’s Chelsea Legacy, By the Numbers
Antonio Conte led Chelsea to the 2016/17 Premier League title with a then-record 30 wins in a 38-game season and a club-record 13 consecutive league victories.
He added the FA Cup in 2018, winning 1-0 against Manchester United with an Eden Hazard penalty, but a fifth-place finish denied Chelsea a place in the Champions League. Conte’s Premier League win rate was 65.1% – the best of any Chelsea manager in the Premier League era.
At the time, reports cited friction with the board over transfer policy, with Maurizio Sarri unveiled as his successor the following day on a three-year deal.