The first thing I learned in England was ‘whack’
Only Geremi stood out: he mumbled his replies in French and spent much of the session looking down at his feet, chuckling nervously to himself.
"I was laughing because I am excited to be at Chelsea," he explained once the crowds had cleared. "Chelsea are a great club. I knew it before, but I saw it for myself during my spell at Middlesbrough. When we played at Stamford Bridge, it was 1-1 and I scored from a free-kick."
That game was memorable for his running battle with new team-mate Frank Lampard. For Geremi, it was a tough introduction to life in England.
"They were kicking me all the time," he smiled. "Football is not love. The first thing I learned in England was 'whack'. You get kicked all the time, whacked hard and you have to play hard back to get results."
That is what Geremi has done, and it's why he is delighted that after two difficult years, he can finally settle down in London. Middlesbrough wanted to extend his one-year loan period but could not agree terms with Real Madrid, who held his registration. The season before, he was in and out of the Spanish side despite playing a key role in their Champions League success.
"The past two summers have been complicated as I belonged to Real Madrid and my future was undecided. Now the situation has changed for the better and I'm much calmer," the 24-year-old admitted.
"I wouldn't have liked to have had another month like July last year, when after playing in the World Cup with Cameroon I still didn't know my destiny. At some stages, I've had the feeling I'm just an object for sale but I know that's the way it is in professional football and you have to accept it."
There was a point when Manchester United looked set to become his employers. Though he denied having any official contact with United, he always felt confident that he could do well at Old Trafford.
"Sir Alex Ferguson had good things to say about me, and not every footballer can claim that. My experience in the Premiership has been excellent and it has showed I can deliver in a competitive league."
He was used mainly on the right at Middlesbrough, but Geremi is also an effective central midfielder. Even though Claudio Ranieri has signed Juan Sebastian Veron, there is still talk among Chelsea insiders that Geremi poses a major threat to Emmanuel Petit and Lampard for a place in the middle of the pitch.
The Cameroonian is unfazed by talk of where he will start the season as long as it's not among the substitutes.
"There's enormous interest among the players as to who will be on the bench. My aim is to play in every game. I like to play; I'm no good at being on the bench. That's why I didn't do well at Real Madrid when I only got a few minutes. It was the reason I accepted the Boro loan deal."
And what about a switch to the middle? "If I had gone to United, I would not have been scared if was told I had to play in Roy Keane's position. The Irishman is a symbol, but in Africa so am I. That did not worry me then, and it does not worry me now. All players have chances over the course of the season because of the intensity of the competition. I'm able to do everything, but little by little."
Chelsea coach Claudio Ranieri summed up the qualities of Geremi, in the way only he can, with a glorious tangent: "In my coaching I've always looked for two things," he said. "Team spirit, because I strongly believe in the team ethic. Of course, you need quality too, but that must be subordinate to the team. If those two elements are present, I'll accept any result. But that's the key to have the perfect combination of unity and quality. If I see that in my players, I'm happy, it's more important to me than results. And Geremi has it. He always works for the team, and he has lots and lots of quality. I have been trying to sign him for three years, so I'm really happy now."
Geremi had to learn about team spirit after his surprise move from Turkish side Genclerbirligi to John Toshack's Real side in 1999. He found it difficult to integrate at first, but soon found his feet.
"Joining Real was a dream for me. But it was not easy because at Real Madrid, everybody's a star," he remembered.
"The Real Madrid dressing-room is like a sacred place. I felt like the new kid on the block, the little kid arriving at school where everybody knew each other. The heavyweights were Manuel Sanchis, Fernando Hierro and Raul. I was lucky in that when I arrived Christian Karembeu took me under his wing. He encouraged me and reminded me often of how I had to seize my chance. I picked up medals in my three years with Real and made great friends."
Medals were in short supply on Teesside. "Middlesbrough weren't a great team," he said, "but I enjoyed the experience and the atmosphere in the stadium. Karembeu and Alen Boksic encouraged me to join and having Joseph-Desire Job there helped me settle in. I played every week and got seven goals and had fun. I enjoyed my season there. I've left a lot of friends at Boro and I thank them for trying to sign me. I hope things go well for them next season.
"But Chelsea are one of the big clubs in England and they can achieve anything they want to achieve. It is easier to play football with better players and I don't think that's disrespectful to Middlesbrough.
"I'm going to look forward to returning to the Riverside, while Stamford Bridge will always be a preferred ground. Anfield and Old Trafford, for what it means to win there, are also special. I haven't studied the fixture list yet, but you dream about defeating Manchester United. I learnt at Boro that those games are different and I expect derbies against Arsenal will be as well.
"I like this club's ambition and I want to be a part of it. We aspire to everything. Chelsea have a squad capable of fighting for the Premiership and nothing can be ruled out if we finished fourth last season. I want a trophy this year. Why can't we win the FA Cup and qualify for the Champions League again? I'm not ruling anything out. I'm feeling optimistic.
"What I most like about Chelsea was what I saw last year the atmosphere at the ground. They are one of the liveliest sets of supporters in England and it's never easy to win at Stamford Bridge."
Geremi visibly wilts when another journalist interrupts to ask a question about David Beckham. "I'm sure he will cope in Spain," he parrots, later admitting that not a day has gone by in the last fortnight without someone asking him about Beckham and Real.
Geremi is desperate to transform his status from a former Real Madrid player to a current Chelsea star. It depends on a few things, including where he plays. All will be revealed this weekend against Liverpool. "I don't know exactly what the coach wants from me but I guarantee him I will work hard and honestly on the pitch," Geremi conceded. "I know about Claudio Ranieri from when I was in Spain. He seems like a great coach who speaks to his players a lot and that's always good. He did well last season. I know he's put his faith in me and I won't let him down."
And the highlights for the coming year: is it too soon to visualise the Chelsea team with their hands on the Champions League trophy? Another laugh.
"I've been lucky enough to have the experience of winning it with Real Madrid and I hope I get to play against them in the tournament. Winning it will be tough, I admit, but you never know." And with that, Geremi chuckles to himself again and heads off probably to talk to someone else about David Beckham and Real Madrid.
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