Frank Lampard praises Kurt Zouma after ignoring Everton interest

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Chelsea rebuffed Everton’s interest in Kurt Zouma this summer.

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has told Goal that he thinks Kurt Zouma has been ‘fantastic’ this season after rebuffing Everton’s interest in him.

The Blues were hit with a transfer ban this past summer, meaning new boss Lampard couldn’t go into the market to strengthen his squad, so he’s had to bed in youngsters and players who spent last season out on loan.

Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori have all played key roles this season having spent last term on loan in the Championship, whilst Zouma has claimed an unlikely first-team spot.

Signed from Saint-Etienne in January 2014, Zouma had struggled for first-team football with Chelsea and spent the last two seasons out on loan at Stoke City and Everton.

The Frenchman impressed with Everton last season, so much so that the Toffees wanted to secure a permanent deal, as reported by BBC Sport in June.

However, with Chelsea unable to sign a replacement, they blocked Everton from signing him – and he’s really taken his chance to shine at Stamford Bridge.

With Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen both struggling with injuries, Zouma has formed a strong partnership with Fikayo Tomori of late, whilst Everton have been sorely missing his presence.

Now, Lampard has praised Zouma for his ‘fantastic’ form, and feels he has been justified in keeping him after that spell with Everton, and hopes to see him continue his impressive partnership with Tomori.

“He has been fantastic,” said Lampard. “There was a belief that I had in Kurt because there was interest in the summer after we all know he had a very good loan at Everton last year. But I believed in him as I believed in Tomori – that is why I made the decisions I made pre-season in terms of where we were going to look defensively.”

“It has been nice to get some stability, albeit because of injuries, between him and Fikayo in the last games. It has been good to get them playing together to see the little bond they are getting on and off the pitch. It is a nice little story and it must continue, I suppose,” he added.