Trophies are addictive. Ask any player who's won silverware. Six years ago Danny Drinkwater was on loan at Barnsley, today he sits in front of us as a Premier League Champion with a thirst to add to his silverware with new club Chelsea.
Drinkwater played a pivotal role in Leicester's miraculous Premier League success in 2015/16, leaving the entire world saying that a club of Leicester's stature could never do it again. Drinkwater won't have to worry about that, though. His hunt for trophies has led him to London, and it's here at the adidas Oxford Street store where he talks to SoccerBible...
Danny, you’ve crossed the North/South divide. How have you settled into London?
I’ve always been a home boy but it’s different down here. The move was… you know you stay in a hotel and it’s slightly frustrating but you find a place and you get your family down and get into a routine and it starts to feel a bit like home. I was travelling from Manchester when I was at Leicester before so it’s a bit of a change.
Does it feel like a strong, fresh opportunity here for you in London?
Definitely – it kinda comes with the move – you know you need to kind of… not adapt but you can see it as a fresh challenge and kind of a new start as well. Obviously I’ve got a young son as well so it was quite a good time for him to see somewhere new.
What was the reaction from your friends and family when the Chelsea opportunity came around?
To be honest I kept it kind of quiet a bit. I didn’t want to start talking and then it not happen and have that disappointment. So I just kept my head down and spoke with Leicester. Tried to fix the situation and when I signed I was obviously buzzing.
You've won the Premier League with Leicester - but is this a chance for you to set new objectives?
I’ve felt what its like to win the league with the lads at Leicester and the team. The way we did it and the way I started at the club in the Championship and got promotion to the Premier League and then two years later we’re winning it. I kind of wanted to feel more of that and I knew that joining Chelsea would definitely help with that. I love winning and winning trophies is massive. So I guess it was a big influence in the move.
What’s it been like to learn and play for a different manager?
You’re kind of learning all the time. If you’re at a club and for some reason the club decides to let a manager go and a new manager comes in, it changes everything. First, if the manager doesn’t like you or if you’re not seeing as much game time or if the training is totally different. But the move from Leicester to Chelsea managerial wise is obviously a big change. I left when Craig Shakespeare was in charge and it was his first job and he was doing a great job but then obviously coming to a club where the manager’s been there for a year and a half and he’s settled into the club, you kind of have to hit the floor running.
What’s the culture like playing for a London club? Is there a good lifestyle that comes with it?
The club attracts worldwide players. It’s in London and the training ground is quality. The history of the club is big and players want to join Chelsea.So as far as culture goes, you’re getting a lot of different nationalities.
Have you tried to explore London a little more since being here? Who’s a good tour guide to give you the tip offs on where to go?
The first few months I was down I was a proper tourist. Because in the past I’d come down to London and I’d play football, I’d probably have a night out and I’d go home or I’d come down to London and go straight back on the train. So it’s good to spend some time down here definitely. All the lads tend to share tips. If one of the boys goes to a nice restaurant and it has quality food and a good atmosphere then we’ll all speak about that stuff and mix, share tips.
You’ve got the adidas Nemeziz boots on your feet now. It’s a fairly new boot having been introduced during the summer. How have you found it so far?
Yeh it feels great. I’m back into a lighter boot which feels nice, its fresh and Adidas is a massive brand so it’s good to be wearing them. I think it’ll look really good. It’ll look good against the blue. I like the red and again, it sounds daft but you do feel like your feet are moving quicker when you look down instead of the old black boot. The boot suits me because the changes in direction and changes in speed are a really important feature for a midfielder.
What do you want to achieve when you look ahead to the rest of the season?
Well we’ve just been knocked out of the Carabao so unfortunately that’s gone but we’ve still got the FA Cup, the Champions League, the Premier League looks far away now but we’ll keep pushing and then there’s the World Cup in the summer so there’s few targets I’m looking at.
Pick up the adidas Nemeziz 17+ from prodirectsoccer.com
Photography by Joel Goldstein for SoccerBible.
