I was never wanted at Chelsea – but it got worse after I joined Sunderland and I refused to play

Former defender Papy Djilobodji reflected on his troubled tenures at Chelsea and Sunderland ahead of a Premier League meeting between the sides. Djilobodji revealed he never felt wanted under manager Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, having joined the club from Nantes for £2.7 million in 2015 before moving to Sunderland a year later.

His stint on Wearside deteriorated after consecutive relegations, culminating in Djilobodji going AWOL for pre-season training in 2018. Sunderland ultimately terminated his contract after he returned over a month late and failed basic fitness tests.