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Kurt Zouma claims Chelsea are refreshed and ready to defend their title after spending his summer “sleeping like a champion.”

Zouma was able to sleep easy during the close season after helping Chelsea come out on top of the pile last term.

But he says Jose Mourinho’s men are determined not to be caught napping by their title rivals once the season gets under way.

Blues defender Zouma said: “It wasn’t easy to switch off in the summer because last season was really nice and to relax after that was difficult.

“But at the same time it was easier because you can sleep like a champion.

(Image: PA)

“I was very proud. I was sleeping like a champion. When you sleep like a champion you can sleep one day, for 24 hours!

“But now, to be real, we are focusing on the new season. Last season is finished and we have to show that this year will be for us again.”

Zouma believes summer signings Radamel Falcao and Asmir Begovic and the added competition they will bring will ensure the players who clinched Chelsea’s first title since 2010 are on their toes next season.

Zouma, 20, said: “Mr Begovic is a really nice keeper like Petr Cech, like Thibaut Courtois. So in Chelsea we have too many good keepers.

“And Falcao, I have played against him twice and he is a really good striker. He likes to score goals. His target is only to score goals and he scores well.

“When you play for Chelsea, you have to be ready for every game and we know that the competition will be hard because that is normal in a big club.

“Always there is big competition. But everyone is friendly guys and we want to do it for the club.”