STEVE Bruce quipped last month that he had been days away from picking up the phone to Kofi Annan for assistance in finalising a new long-term deal for James Chester.
The famed diplomacy skills of the former United Nations Secretary-General were spared when Chester put pen to paper on a new three-year deal four weeks ago, but the defender insists he never gave a second's thought to life away from Hull City this summer.
"This place and these team-mates put a smile on my face every day so to get the chance to play in the Premier League with this group is not something I wanted to miss," said Chester, now just three weeks away from an anticipated top-flight debut at Chelsea.
"We earned it the hard way together and that's what's makes this season so special."
A drawn-out contract saga, one dating all the way back to the Tigers' first offer in December, certainly made for an anxious wait.
The reported interest of Aston Villa and Newcastle did little to allay fears that the darling of City's defence would be snatched away in the wake of promotion out of the Championship.
"The first I knew of any interest was when my mate text me when I was on holiday saying it had been in the papers," he added.
"You've met me enough times to know I'm pretty laid back. I just get on with life day to day and enjoy myself. Things like that don't bother me.
"None of that was ever in my mind. I just wanted to get the deal sorted because I wanted to be here.
"It was hard work and quite frustrating at times. I was always eager to get the deal done from my side.
"I would have liked it done sooner than it happened but for whatever reason it took a while."
A resolved future, tying Chester to the KC until the summer of 2016, has left the 24-year-old with nothing else to trouble his mind ahead of City's trip to Chelsea on August 18.
Jose Mourinho's star-studded side begin the biggest season in Chester's fledgling career. Two and a half years after leaving Manchester United in a £300,000 deal, the Premier League has never been closer.
"It's exciting, I can't wait," he said.
"I spent a lot of the summer at home and I'd be sat there with my mates. They'd start laughing and say 'You're going to be playing against him next season!'
"I'm still not sure it's sunk in. Maybe it only will when we go to these places and play against all these big names.
"It's somewhere I've wanted to be for a while and hopefully I can prove myself at that level."
First comes proving himself within Bruce's reshaped squad.
The arrival of Maynor Figueroa and Curtis Davies, who together boast 250 Premier League appearances, could leave just one space up for grabs in a three-man defence for Chester, Paul McShane and Alex Bruce to fight for.
"It's nice to have that competition," he said. "Training is going to be more intense than ever and everyone will be eager to prove they're worthy of a place against Chelsea.
"I'll enjoy that challenge. You see the players the gaffer has brought in and he's gone for experience.
"There's plenty of us who haven't played there so it's vital that we've got that experience to help us. They've been there before and know what it takes."
City's demanding pre-season campaign travels to Birmingham City this afternoon for the fifth of nine friendlies lined up before the curtain raises at Chelsea three weeks tomorrow.
If an eight-day training camp in Portugal, where games with Sheffield Wednesday and Braga both ended 0-0, was designed to sharpen fitness, the upcoming fixtures will aim to encourage a greater cohesion within Bruce's side.
Chester missed the stalemate with Braga on Tuesday because of a minor groin strain and knows the importance of City's precious pre-season opportunities.
"It's hard work but we understand it's something that needs to be done, especially now we're trying to be fitter than ever," said Chester, who was amongst the scorers when City won 3-2 at St Andrew's on their last visit in November.
"We have to focus on the areas where we can match teams. We'll be as fit as any side we face, I'm sure of that.
"That will give us a chance even when we're coming up against some unbelievable players."
