Why keeping Drinkwater was so important for Leicester City

Article by e-Leicester Correspondent Ross Eade

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This past week saw Leicester City central midfielder Danny Drinkwater extend his current contract with the foxes.

During post season, most Leicester City fans had their minds firmly fixed on the futures of Kasper Schmeichel, David Nugent and even the gaffer himself Nigel Pearson, all of which were coming to the end of their current contracts with the Football League champions, with Schmeichel agreeing a new 4 year deal, Pearson close to a new deal and Nugent in ongoing negotiations.

So with the spotlight firmly placed on the players whose contracts were coming up for renewal, it was a bit of a surprise (a very nice surprise) when Leicester City announced that Danny Drinkwater had extended his contract.

Drinkwater’s contract was not due to expire with Leicester until next July. However, Leicester have got the 24 year old to put pen to paper on a 4 year contract extension, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2018. But why is this such a good piece of business for the Premier League new boys?

Drinkwater was considered the engine room for Leicester last season. He ran the midfield, contributing with goals, assists and a general workhorse like ethic that saw him become a fan favourite at the King Power stadium. There is no doubt that Drinkwater’s contribution aided Leicester considerably in their quest for the championship and ultimately promotion back to the top flight of English football.

The young midfielder picked up a handful of awards for his efforts in the 2013/14 campaign. He was the Championship player of the month for December and was also nominated for Championship player of the season. Drinkwater was also included in the PFA Championship team of the year alongside team mates Kasper Schmeichel and Wes Morgan. At Leicester City’s end of season awards, Drinkwater was voted as the team’s player of the season.

The news that Leicester had tied down their key midfield man came was received with a sense of both excitement and euphoria by many of the blue army. Keeping such an important player showed the fans that not only were Leicester aiming to keep their best players, rather than sell them on to other clubs, but also that they were being smart in their dealing, keeping the core of their title winning team together.

As I mentioned in one of my previous articles, when speaking about the contract renewals of Schmeichel, Nugent and Pearson, it was absolutely vital to the success of the club in the Premier League to keep hold of the core of the team that got them their. It has been proven in recent times (most recently in the World Cup) that team spirit and a strong work ethic can go a long way in football and Leicester City need to retain that with their current squad of players.

Drinkwater said in an interview "I know it is a club going forward and I wanted to match that in my ambitions. Leicester have made it clear to everyone that they want to stay in the Premier League". With the positive attitudes and team spirit shown by the Leicester City squad of late, matched with a desire to succeed both on a team level as well as a personal level, the Foxes have given themselves a good chance to start life in the Premier League the right way. The contract extension of Danny Drinkwater has given the squad even more stability and shows everyone, fans and players alike, that Leicester City have the ambition to succeed in the Premiership and that they are trying to do it the right way.

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