"Disrespectful to a club you’ve played for" - John Obi-Mikel on Arsenal star Kai Havertz shushing Chelsea fans in 1-1 draw
Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi-Mikel criticised Arsenal attacker Kai Havertz - a former Blues man - for being disrespectful to fans of his former club. The comment was in reference to an incident involving Havertz in the Gunners' 1-1 Premier League draw at Stamford Bridge at the weekend.
In a hard-fought clash between the two London rivals, Havertz thought he had opened the scoring. The German - who was at the receiving end of boos from home fans all night - responded by gesturing to the crowd to stay quiet.
Obi-Mikel, though, reckons the act was disrespectful to fans of Havertz's former club, saying on the Obi One podcast (as per the Chelsea Chronicle):
“Looking back at it, if he wakes up this morning, I think it’s just the adrenaline and passion of the game that made him do that, but I still think it’s a bit disrespectful to a club that you’ve played for and won trophies for.
“When I played for Chelsea, I wasn’t the most liked player. Some of the fans didn’t appreciate me as much as they should. But that didn’t stop me from loving the club and doing my job."
He concluded:
“If you leave the football club and come back, and score, I think you should still show some respect. You can still celebrate, but not to shush the fans. I don’t know the reason why that happened, but for me it was a little bit disrespectful.”
Coming to the game, Pedro Neto's 70th-minute opener for the Blues cancelled out Gabriel Martinelli's opener for Mikel Arteta's side 10 minutes earlier.
How has former Chelsea man Kai Havertz fared for Arsenal this season?
Kai Havertz has had a decent start to the season for Arsenal. The former Chelsea attacker has notched up seven goals and an assist in 17 outings across competitions.
Most of his goal contributions - four goals and an assist in 11 games - have come in the Premier League, where Mikel Arteta's side are fourth, behind the third-placed Blues on goal difference.
The 25-year-old has also scored once in four games in the UEFA Champions League, where Arsenal are 12th, winning twice. Havertz has found the back of the net twice in as many games in the EFL Cup, too, where Mikel Arteta's side next take on Crystal Palace at home in the quarter-final on December 18.