Former Chelsea flop explains himself after he is spotted sitting with City fans

Chelsea Flop Danny Drinkwater has earned a row after sitting with Manchester City fans and branding 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 favorite with Chelsea supporters after a dismal spell at Stamford Bridge from 2017-2022 following his £35million switch from Leicester.

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

Drinkwater then justified his actions on social media – but his statement sparked more dissatisfaction.

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

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

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

But other supporters slammed Chelsea's treatment of Drinkwater at the weekend as evidence of the “disrespectful” way former players are treated among the Clearlake club's majority.

The three-cap ace's fortunes took a turn for the worse on and off the pitch after he immediately swapped 2015-16 Prem Title Glory with Leicester for Stamford Bridge.

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

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

A third wrote: “I wouldn't give him tickets either. He can buy them with the wages he received.”

A fourth added: “If he really wanted to support the club I don't see any harm in him buying a ticket btw.” A fifth chuckled: “Did him dirty…did nothing of note for the club.”

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

One fan said: “Clearlake doesn't respect 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 modest descent while in Chelsea as “the darkest I felt. It was as if I were drowning and had forgotten how to swim”.

And his life away from the field has also been hit by a series of difficulties in recent years.

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

And in September that year, drinking water was attacked outside a nightclub in Manchester, causing head injuries and ankle ligament damage.

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

Drinkwater has been working as a real estate developer ever since.