Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has said the club rejected offers for defender Kurt Zouma in the summer and has praised his "fantastic" performances this season.
Zouma was on loan at Everton in 2018-19 and excelled at the heart of the Toffees defence. His performances prompted speculation regarding a possible permanent move to Merseyside, but he was eventually retained by the Blues.
After a challenging start to the season, Zouma has struck up a strong centre-back partnership with Fikayo Tomori. Speaking ahead of his team's Carabao Cup clash with Manchester United on Wednesday, Lampard praised the recent efforts from the France international, per Nizaar Kinsella of Goal:
"He has been fantastic.