Christian Pulisic signed before Frank Lampard's reign as the Chelsea boss began, joining from Borussia Dortmund in January before immediately returning to Germany on a loan deal.
Now a permanent Blue, Pulisic was so eager to begin a new chapter of his fledgeling career, he cut his summer holiday plans by meeting up with his new teammates on their pre-season tour of Japan.
Pulisic had only just finished up with the USA national side during their Gold Cup campaign - where the forward was named Young Player of the Tournament as the American's lost to Mexico in the final. Now in another continent, the 20-year-old can finally link up with Lampard.
Boyhood hero
Back when the news of Pulisic's £58 million arrival broke, he told Sky Sports: "[I'm] looking forward to working with Maurizio Sarri and his technical team."
Little did he know, Sarri's stint in charge would end shortly after as the Italian returned to his native home to manage Seria A champions Juventus.
This will not have dampened Pulisic's spirits however after admitting his love for the English game and his admiration towards Sarri's replacement.
"When I think of this club, there's a lot of great players that come to mind," he told Sky Sports. "I grew up watching Frank Lampard and all of those guys at the top of their game in the Premier League and in the Champions League."
From Tackley to London
In 2005, Lampard had arguably completed his most prestigious season, a Premier League and League Cup winner, the midfielder was named the league’s Player of the Season whilst coming second in the inaugural Ballon d'or awards.
During this same period, Pulisic and his family had recently moved to Tackley, a small village close to Oxford. During his brief stay in England, Pulisic became obsessed with the English game in which Lampard was a huge part of.
"To me, Chelsea were always one of the biggest teams and now to be playing here, it's really come full circle from that moment," he admitted, as he prepares to re-visit the country, he left 13 years ago.
Filling the Hazard hole
It is a secret to nobody that Chelsea will be heavily damaged by the departure of Eden Hazard as he set sail for Spain and Real Madrid.
The Belgian was the topped almost every category last term for the Blues and his undeniable world-class talent will be irreplaceable. However, Lampard has a young, vibrant squad, including Pulisic, who are willing to fill the void left by Hazard.
In fact, Pulisic himself voiced his strongest qualities, similar to that of Hazards, stating: "I think I have a lot of speed and creativity that I can bring to the game; quickness and different attacking abilities that can really help the team."
A comparison between Hazard and Pulisic would be highly unfair, yet natural as many see the latter becoming Chelsea's next superstar to carry them into a golden generation, which has been missing for a while at Stamford Bridge.
And it's Pulisic's confidence that has Blues fans believing in this theory, after he said: "I think I have some tools that can really do well in this league [Premier League]. I just can't wait.