Danny Drinkwater has opened up on the notorious incident that saw him headbutt Aston Villa teammate Jota.
The Chelsea midfielder, who played just four times in a loan spell at Villa last season, was not picked by manager Dean Smith again after the training ground bust-up in March.
Drinkwater has struggled for form since completing a £35million move to Stamford Bridge from Leicester in 2017.
Since then, he has played just 29 matches while being convicted of drink-driving and involved in a nightclub brawl.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Drinkwater revealed being an unused substitute in Aston Villa’s 4-0 defeat to Leicester, a club he starred for in their Premier League title triumph in 2016, was the culmination of three frustrating years.
“I was thinking ‘Jesus, I’ve just been back to somewhere I had so much success and I couldn’t get on the pitch. This is embarrassing,’” he recalled.
“I got some stick from the fans and I woke up and I was raging. After training I planned to go and speak to Dean Smith about things, but then I went and headbutted Jota.
“We were on the same team, that’s how stupid it was. I’ve never done that, I’ve never laid someone out before. It was ridiculous.
“I apologised straight away and I had to go home. I texted him straight after to apologise and take full responsibility. I Google translated it into Spanish as well to make sure he’d understand.”
Despite having two years left on his Chelsea contract, Drinkwater is aware his future does not lie in west London.
Now, the 30-year-old is looking to get his career back on track.
He added: “I’ve got loads more to give. I’m open to going abroad, even though it will be difficult with my son.
“But I would hope to still see him and, hopefully, he would understand that for a year I needed to get my career sorted out again.
“I need an anchor and I need to sort out one side of my life, so if I can sort my football out, even if it is abroad, then that will help in the long term. I need something to grasp.”
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By: Jake
Title: Chelsea outcast Danny Drinkwater explains events that led to ‘stupid’ headbutt on Jota during Aston Villa loan and using Google translate for apology
Sourced From: talksport.com/football/757564/chelsea-news-danny-drinkwater-headbutt-jota-aston-villa-google-translate/
Published Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2020 15:00:03 +0000
