Chelsea

Chelsea

Premier League • England

Roy Keane delivers exciting verdict on Chelsea star showing ‘arrogance’ after slow start

Roy Keane appears on Sky Sports before Man City vs Liverpool in Premier League

Roy Keane thinks a Chelsea forward is demonstrating his ‘arrogance’ and is accustomed to the English game after a slow start in west London.

The Blues reached their second final of the campaign with a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace in the FA Cup on Sunday. After struggling in the first half, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount found the net to give Thomas Tuchel’s men the victory.

They will face Liverpool in the final next month, which will be a repeat of February’s Carabao Cup clash. And Chelsea will be desperate to get one back on the Reds after losing on penalties in that final.

One player who was kept quiet by Palace for large periods but ultimately made his mark on the semi-final was Kai Havertz.

The Germany international played Loftus-Cheek in, allowing the midfielder to send a shot into the top corner.

It certainly wasn’t a vintage performance from Havertz, but he helped Chelsea to get the job done at Wembley.

Roy Keane praises Chelsea star amid improved form

The 22-year-old cost Chelsea £71million when joining from Bayer Leverkusen. Like compatriot Timo Werner, it took him a while to make an impact at Stamford Bridge.

Havertz found the net just once in his first 22 Premier League matches last season. However, the attacker went on to score the winner in the Champions League final against Manchester City.

And he has been in great form lately, registering five goals in as many league matches since March began. Add strikes against Lille and Real Madrid in the UCL knockout stages to that record and it’s clear to see why Tuchel likes him so much.

Kai Havertz of Chelsea

Indeed, the manager regularly uses Havertz as his focal point in attack rather than £97.5m signing Romelu Lukaku.

Ahead of the semi-final versus Palace, Keane was asked about Havertz. The pundit said (via the Daily Mirror): “It looks like he’s got a bit of arrogance, and he does back it up.

“But it took him a while to adapt to the English game. Again, he’s a talented boy, a big presence.”

Havertz is likely to feature in Chelsea’s next game. They come up against London rivals Arsenal in the Premier League on Wednesday evening.

READ MORE: Thomas Tuchel praises Chelsea man who ‘hid his talent’; is ‘proud’ to reach another final