Former Chelsea flop forced to explain himself after he is spotted sitting with Man City fans for defeat at Etihad

CHELSEA flop Danny Drinkwater has sparked a row after sitting with Manchester City fans and appearing to brand his old club a circus.

The ex-England midfielder saw City dent the Blues’ top-four hopes with a 3-1 comeback win at the Etihad.

Drinkwater is far from a favourite with Chelsea supporters following a dismal spell at Stamford Bridge from 2017-2022 after his £35million switch from Leicester.

And fans who reckoned he was a waste of money were seething again after spotting him with home supporters in Saturday’s crucial Premier League clash.

Drinkwater justified his actions on social media afterwards  – but his explanation stirred up more discontent.

The now-retired star, 34, posted on Instagram: “For the @Chelsea fans asking why I’m in the City end… I asked the club for tickets!?! I didn’t receive any.”

Drinkwater then spelt out his feelings by adding two emojis – a circus and an eye roll.

That didn’t go down well with fans who recalled his anonymous, injury-hit six years at Stamford Bridge.

But other supporters slammed Drinkwater’s treatment by Chelsea at the weekend as proof of the “disrespectful” way former players are treated under the club’s majority owners Clearlake.

The fortunes of the three-cap ace hurtled downwards on and off the pitch once he immediately swapped 2015-16 Prem title glory with Leicester for Stamford Bridge.

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And one fan said of his ‘snub’ at the Etihad: “Why would they give him tickets lol.”

Another posted: “He took enough from the club. They gave him a nice retirement package.” 

A third wrote: “I wouldn’t give him any tickets either. He can f*****g buy them with the wage he received.”

A fourth added: “If he really wanted to support the club then I don’t see any harm in him buying a ticket btw.” A fifth chuckled: “Did him dirty.. Didn’t do anything notable for the club.”

But despite Drinkwater being such a costly misfit at Chelsea, the Etihad episode left some supporters pointing their finger at the current Stamford Bridge reign of Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake.

One fan said: “Clearlake disrespecting former Chelsea players, get them out.”

Another demanded the same: “Get the owners out of here” – followed by two clown emojis.

Drinkwater has described his humbling descent while at Chelsea as “the darkest I’d felt. It was like I was drowning and forgotten how to swim”.

And his life away from the pitch has also been beset by an array of difficulties in recent years.

He was banned from the wheel for 20 months in 2019 after admitting drink-driving following a crash in his Range Rover that injured his two passengers.

And in September that year, Drinkwater was attacked outside a Manchester nightclub, suffering head injuries and ankle ligament damage.

Then in November 2023, just a week after quitting playing, the Sun revealed how he lost £782,000 from a failed restaurant business.

Drinkwater has since been working as a property developer.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk