"I didn't think it would happen to be honest," Wells told AFL.com.au.
But with the wheels in motion, North Melbourne's leadership group sat down with Dal Santo.
As the 29-year-old coolly answered the rapid-fire questions heading in his direction, an impressed Wells suddenly began to hope it might happen.
It did, just, with the Kangaroos securing Dal Santo in the final hours of the free agency period after weeks of tortuous negotiations.
Match preview: Sydney Swans v North Melbourne
From that moment onwards North Melbourne has been a better team.
"He has fitted in beautifully, " Wells said.
He suspects that says more about Dal Santo than North Melbourne. He reckons the 284-game veteran could fit in to any environment.
"He is a smooth mover and a smooth talker as well," Wells said.
"He's had a massive impact. I've been rapt with the way he has gone."
Wells says Dal Santo is a self-deprecating type with a quick wit, although time passed before that became evident to the North Melbourne veteran.
"I didn't think he was that funny. He came over and I thought, 'this bloke, what's going on with him?', but he is really funny and witty," Wells said.
Wells doesn't grin, but you can sense a good story or two lies behind the comment.
The duo only played seven games together before the finals, with the ex-Saint's presence vital when Wells was injured early in the season.
In September Dal Santo's real value has been realised.
In the elimination final he took a tag, allowing Wells to burn.
In the semi-final, Wells attracted the tag.
You won't get any prizes for guessing: Dal Santo was best on ground.
"We're all going to get tagged sooner or later," Wells said.
It's a comment only the stars can make without any sense of pretension.
Wells knows better than most how hard it is to execute skills under pressure in the unhurried fashion Dal Santo does, but he won't hear of any comparison between him and the recruit.
"Mate, he is all class. He is a better ball user than me. When he gets the ball, [I'm] literally looking for the next contest, because he is going to hit that bloke up or going to make the right call," Wells said.
The two have combined well so far but they are still learning things about each other.
Only a few weeks ago Wells noticed Dal Santo dodge a ball heading in his direction during the warm-up and asked Lindsay Thomas what was going on.
"Dal doesn't touch it until a certain time [before the game]," was Thomas' response.
"It's a little superstition," Wells said. "Blokes try to roll a ball at him and he just gets out of the way. I don't know what it is."
A small grin appears.
"I thought about throwing the ball at him."
A bond appears to be growing - Dal Santo is helping Wells and Wells is helping Dal Santo.
"I was excited that a player of that calibre wanted to come to the club," Wells said.
