Danny Drinkwater has been speaking about his time at Chelsea, which the midfielder pointedly describes as a "shambles".
His comments come after yet another loan move away from Stamford Bridge, as he'll spend the remainder of the 2021/22 season at Championship side Reading.
The move to the Royals is Drinkwater's fourth loan spell since joining Chelsea back in 2017, in a £35m deal from Premier League champions Leicester City.
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Since then, however, the player has failed to make an impact at the West London club, leading to loans at Burnley, Aston Villa and Kasimpasa - all in an attempt to get regular first-team football.
Following Reading's impressive victory over Fulham last weekend, Drinkwater spoke to TalkSport - where he was very candid about his time at parent club Chelsea.
"Can I paint a picture? No. It's been a shambles [At Chelsea]," The 31-year-old said.
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Nevertheless, the combative midfielder insists that he is now enjoying his football again, with the loan spell at Reading already having the desired effect.
"I need to [kick-start my career]. I'm more excited about this than I have been for a few years now, especially how my career's panned out.
"Games, getting the enjoyment of football back, then going from there. A few have slid away, I've made mistakes, I've not played."
It is currently unclear where the Royals' midfielder's future lies, as his Chelsea contact expires at the end of this season.
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Remaining in the Championship looks to be one option, with Drinkwater set to garner a great deal of interest from clubs in the second tier.
"I'm in the last year of my contract, so there's more than just football riding on it. I've got other things," the Manchester United academy graduate added.
"I've just got to keep in contact with the manager, trust each other and trust the team. Hopefully, they trust me and we can build on that."
Drinkwater's transfer to Chelsea turned out to be very ill-timed, as just a month prior to the player's arrival, the Blues splashed out on another defensive midfielder, Tiemoue Bakeyoko.
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Had Drinkwater joined a Premier League club where regular game time would have been assured, his story to date may have been very different indeed.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Aston Villa, Leicester City, Chelsea, Danny Drinkwater, Reading, Burnley