Chelsea Signs Leicester's Danny Drinkwater on 5-Year Deal at Transfer Deadline
Chelsea have completed a beyond-deadline day deal to sign 2015/16 title winner Danny Drinkwater from Leicester City, in a transfer believed to be worth over £30m.
Drinkwater arrived at Chelsea's Cobham training ground for a medical on Thursday evening, with an extension beyond the 11pm cut-off point granted to allow the paperwork to be finalised. The move was first announced by Leicester at 1:30am, before Chelsea soon confirmed the deal would keep him at Stamford Bridge for five years.
Drinkwater said: "I’m delighted to be a Chelsea player and can’t wait to get started. It has been a long journey to get here but I am very happy and am looking forward to helping the club win more trophies."
Technical director Michael Emenalo added: "Danny is not only a Premier League winner but also has Champions League experience which will be invaluable for us this season. He is a typically combative English midfielder with a cultured passing technique and his arrival significantly strengthens our midfield options."
Having started his career in the youth ranks at Manchester United, Drinkwater joined Leicester on a permanent deal in 2012 after a number of loan spells elsewhere. He was a key member of the Foxes team that topped the Championship to earn promotion in 2013/14 and was again a star performer two years later when the club pulled off the most unlikely of Premier League title wins.
Drinkwater was rewarded with is first senior England cap in March 2016 and will be looking to add to his three caps now that he has made the move to Chelsea.
