Steve Bruce offered to take Sulley Muntari down to his local Mecca bingo to initiate him into North-East life... yet the midfielder says he couldn't wait to swap Milan for Sunderland.
Muntari won it all at Inter, including the Champions League and Serie A in an amazing quadruple last season alongside ex-Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho.
But the Ghana midfielder says he remained obsessed with getting back to the "electric" atmosphere of the Premier League of England after his 2008 move from Portsmouth - and he claims Mourinho, now in charge at Real Madrid, feels the same way.
Muntari has swapped the chic boutiques of Milan for the more humble charms of Wearside, but he couldn't be happier. Although he hasn't gone eyes down for a full-house with boss Bruce just yet.
"Of course, they are very different," said Muntari, who will lead the charge at Everton today. "Milan is a fashion city, it is always busy and full of people. Sunderland is quieter and, of course, the weather is different. But I am doing the same job - football - and I really enjoy it here.
"I always wanted to come back and play in England. When I was in Italy, I missed it so much. I watched it every day, read about it all the time and was telling my friends how much I wanted to return - even when I was winning titles and Champions League.
"When Mourinho was there, even though it was great working with him, I still wanted to come back. I just missed the football and was saying that to his staff, everyone. I was not lying, just telling the truth.
"It might sound strange because we were winning so many trophies, including the Champions League, but whatever happened in Milan, I had to come back to the Premier League, I missed it so much.
"There is a different passion here. Stadiums are always full and that is what makes the football so great here. It is something I really love. Of course, there is passion in Italy, but it is a different style of football. I am not against Italian football, just so much for English football."
Muntari has had direct experience of working with two managerial greats at Inter - Mourinho and his successor, ex-Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez.
"I would not say I had a difficult relationship with Rafa but he was very different from Mourinho," he said. "He did not talk like Jose did.
"Mourinho was able to express himself to you. If he does not like what you are doing, he would certainly tell you that and if he likes you, he will tell you too. Even if there was a fall-out, we would always be able to sort it out and become friends again.
"We both missed English football so much. I do not know who missed it more - let's say equally so. Every day we would talk about English football and what was happening in the Premier League, sometimes for a long time. He is a great man.
"I think definitely one day he will come back into the Premier League. He wants it so badly.
"He never said that directly, but he did not have to. It was so obvious. I know what his time over here meant to him. You just had to speak to him and look at his face to know he would love to have another chance in England."
For now, Muntari will try to haul Sunderland into the top seven, which could earn them a place in Europe.
"My heart is now here, not in Milan," he said. "I want to do just as well for Sunderland, for the club, for the fans and even for myself.
"I do not know whether I will be here next season. I am on loan but I am just concentrating on the rest of this season. I am not thinking about what will happen at the end of the season.
"I just want to do my best, ensuring we play as a team and be able to achieve exactly what we want. We want to try to get into Europe and that is what I will be doing my best to do."
