Ahead of the teams meeting at Stamford Bridge tomorrow, Pochettino was asked why some players, such as Erling Haaland and Cole Palmer, hit the ground running at their new clubs, while others take longer to adapt.

He believes much of it is related to the bigger picture, rather than simply the individual’s ability to quickly and smoothly acclimatise to fresh surroundings.

‘When you arrive at a club and a team that is very consistent in the way they operate, it is easier than arriving at a club in the process of building something, like us,’ Pochettino detailed.

‘At a consistent organisation, it’s only about performing. They are ahead. The percentage chance of a player who signs for City performing better than if we sign a player here is higher at the moment.

‘We are trying to find the best organisation, the best way to operate, the best way to play, to get to know each other. At City you arrive, Pep or the coaches don’t need to talk too much. The players know everything they need to do and how they need to behave.’

Palmer is preparing to face his boyhood club for the first time. The attacker has starred for the Blues in the past six weeks or so, already involved in more of our goals than any other player this season.

Pochettino considered why the 21-year-old has seamlessly adjusted to life at the Bridge.

‘It’s easier to adapt to the Premier League when you have played in it. When a player comes from outside England, first of all, you don’t know if they can understand the language, the culture, the food, the weather. It’s not easy for a Manchester boy to come to London and adapt, but it’s not the same.

‘There are many different reasons players split and take different decisions,’ added Pochettino of Palmer's decision to leave the North-West.

‘It’s not fair to say it surprised me because he’s now performing and he didn’t play too much at City. We are two different clubs, with different ambitions and objectives. Maybe Chelsea fits really well for Cole.’