Antonio Rudiger has revealed he held talks with PSG and Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho last summer.
The German defender decided to stay at Chelsea and has since become a regular under Thomas Tuchel.
Speaking before Wednesday’s Champions League last-16 clash with Atletico Madrid, Rudiger said: “Some things I saw coming, but I didn’t see that I wouldn’t be in the squad [under Lampard].
“This I didn’t see coming. But in the end, I took it on the chin. Yes, I had really two main teams that maybe wanted me and that I was considering.
“It was PSG, to be honest, and with Mourinho [at Tottenham]. But this is something that didn’t happen. With Tuchel, it didn’t happen. I was a bit upset because I knew that I wouldn’t often play in my situation.
“Then I had a talk with the ex-coach of Lampard and I was suddenly back in the team but on the bench. I had a couple of games and I worked my way back. In the last games of his reign, I was on the pitch. Now, things are going well for me and I am very happy about it.
“To be honest, though, I always felt good in the club. They treated me nicely, especially upstairs from the board. No one told me I should leave. Neither did Frank Lampard, the transfers I had didn’t happen. The loans didn’t happen, but no one told me at the club that I should leave either.”