Everton manager Roberto Martinez has praised the club's chairman Bill Kenwright over his refusal to sell defender John Stones to Chelsea.

The Toffees confirmed yesterday that they had rejected the 21-year-old's formal transfer request after turning down three offers from the Premier League champions for the centre-back.

Martinez said earlier this week that Stones is "a massive part" of what he is trying to build at Goodison Park, and he has now praised Kenwright for refusing to give in to Jose Mourinho's side.

"As a club we have the player and we can say we are keeping him," he told reporters. "We know the pressure that will bring and that is why the chairman deserves incredible credit.

"Any chairman would look at any financial deal as an opportunity to do things but our chairman has done what any Evertonian would do and made the right decision for the football club, not for the financial aspect. Any chairman would put his manager into a big problem if he sold one of the club's biggest assets at this stage of the window, and that happens. But our chairman has been very clear and very strong.

"It is no good [Chelsea] thinking that because you have a Champions League budget you're going to click your fingers and get anything you want because clearly we don't work like that."

Stones is likely to be involved when Everton travel to White Hart Lane to face Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League tomorrow.