Kevin De Bruyne believes his transfer fee is why he was buried at Chelsea

Kevin De Bruyne still seems to be a little upset at the lack of playing time given to him at Chelsea. The midfielder got fed up with his lack of opportunities just months into his time at Chelsea, and he recently sat down with reporters to discuss why he felt he was buried on the bench:

"Maybe things would have been different if Chelsea FC had to pay €45m (£32m) and not €8m (£6.7m) when I arrived from Racing Genk. A higher transfer fee would have potentially handed me a different sort of status inside the club. And possibly, handed me more chances (to play more regularly)."

I suppose I'd start by pointing out to Kevin that none of Thibaut Courtois, Branislav Ivanovic, Cesar Azpilicueta, Kurt Zouma, or Gary Cahill came recently with massive transfer fees attached, yet all five see regular minutes with Jose Mourinho's side. Two of that pair also followed the loan then join route, and have earned praise from the manager for their work since becoming part of the Blues' first team.

Despite what De Bruyne says, I really feel like this was just a case of a player who doesn't fit with what the manager is trying to accomplish. De Bruyne is certainly a nice player, but he wasn't the guy that Jose Mourinho should have been building his side around, and his lack of athleticism and defensive indifference made him a poor fit in the squad as more of a complimentary piece. It's kind of laughable to suggest that the transfer fee was the issue here, as Mourinho has proved time and again that he'll play anyone that he feels will help the club win, regardless of where they came from or how much they cost.

De Bruyne wasn't done there, though, as he pointed out that he'd still like to play for one of Europe's elite in the future:

"I feel very much at home with VfL Wolfsburg in this very moment. Life in football can be fast-moving. VfL Wolfsburg is not yet like Bayern Munich, of course and my biggest ambition is to play for a big European club – one I can win trophies with."

Have fun at Bayern, Kevin. If nothing else, Pep's all-midfielder system will give you a better chance at success than Jose Mourinho's setup ever did.