£43m star steps into huddles with his old team-mates, tells his current colleagues to train harder… and his interviews are no-nonsense!

‘He has the capacity to be the playmaker that can link with his team-mates,’ Pochettino told Sky Sports. ‘Very important for us in the way we want to play.

‘Not too much talk as [we] need to give the time to learn and improve and see in a few years if he will be the big player we saw.’

Palmer’s subsequent performance did little to lower lofty expectations. He told reporters after the game that he doesn’t ‘work on penalties’, but simply trusts his ability. 

‘It was very strange since it’s the first time I’ve played against Manchester City.’ He said. ‘It was a long wait [to take the penalty] but I felt confident. I’ve had a few now. I kept focused. I won’t say I work on penalties, because I don’t. I just trust my ability.’ 

The youngster added to the peculiarity of the occasion when he was involved in a playful incident with his former City team-mates. Palmer had to be removed from a huddle by Erling Haaland as he attempted to steal vital plans for their late free-kick. 

In a game where the Blues oscillated between maddening and sublime, Palmer’s poise proved key in eventually unlocking the foolhardy nine-man Spurs defence. 

He ended the tie with a goal and an assist to his name before accompanying hat-trick hero Nicolas Jackson, who profited from one of his pin-point passes, to a post-match interview that was another demonstration of his unique perspective. 

‘It’s been a difficult start for him, no hiding it, but he was brilliant tonight,’ Palmer said of his team-mate. ‘He just needs to keep his head down and work harder in training and he will get many more hat-tricks.’

The words ripped straight from the Veteran Footballer’s Handbook, not often uttered by a 21-year-old when discussing a colleague one year his senior. 

Palmer’s footballing education with Guardiola’s treble winners in Manchester may offer some answers to why he has taken to life in London with such ease. The youngster admitted as much, saying: ‘It’s a lot more difficult at City, so when I went to Chelsea I thought I could break into the team.’

That non-nonsense approach proved key in his decision to leave the Etihad and has served him well at his new club.

‘I’m not surprised he’s done well quickly at Chelsea,’ former City academy director Jason Wilcox, now director of football at Southampton told The Mail on Sunday’s Joe Bernstein. ‘He’s a quiet, languid guy and people can misinterpret that. With a footballing eye, you could always see elite vision, technical ability and winning mentality.

‘He had to overcome challenges at City. There was a point his team-mates were growing quicker than him and he found it difficult physically. 

‘We kept him with the Under-18s when his peers went up to the U21s. That wasn’t easy for Cole but he took it in his stride and adapted.

‘On the pitch, he has tremendous courage. He takes the ball and tries things. He responds well to pressure and doesn’t get affected by the crowd.’

The youngster held off his more experienced colleague before keeping his cool to give the Blues a 15th minute lead against Mikel Arteta’s side, in a game they would go on to draw 2-2.

Palmer has now started the last six Chelsea matches and his inclusion in the side has coincided with the Blues’ improved form. The record from those games reads; three wins, two draws – against Arsenal and City – and one defeat. 

The performances were noted by England manager Gareth Southgate when announcing his squad on Thursday but Monday brought news of his first senior call-up following a reshuffle due to injuries. 

The England boss could a lot worse than incorporate an in-form player with experience of lifting a European Championship for England, even if it came at the junior level. 

After all, the Wythenshawe-native was a crucial part of Lee Carsley’s side that claimed a historic victory in the final against Spain. And it was his strike – which cannoned off Curtis Jones’s back – that separated the two sides in July. 

Many thought the tournament would be an ideal platform for him to finally get regular minutes at the Etihad, especially after the departure of Riyad Mahrez and his goals in the Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup. 

But Palmer wanted more. According to Guardiola, the youngster – unconvinced by the manager’s gametime assurances – informed him that he would like to leave his hometown club. 

City’s loss is well and truly Chelsea’s gain. Pochettino has the youngest average squad in the division, stripped of legends and cult heroes of the club’s former glories. But in Palmer they have a player who is making a case to be one of its leaders. 

Not solely on account of his quality, but due to his ability to take every hurdle in stride.