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"To an observer, it appears insane," Jarell Quansah remarks, as he looks back on his recent summer, when rapid transformation felt like a constant. "But it is one of them ... football is a crazy game."

A Brief Summary

Shortly after claiming victory in the European Under-21 Championship with the English national team at the conclusion of June, Quansah decided to leave Liverpool, to go to Bayer Leverkusen in a £30m deal.

The significant transfer sum brought high expectations as the 22-year-old was tasked with finding his feet in a new country and at a club where the turnover was dramatic. Erik ten Hag had stepped in to succeed Xabi Alonso and a host of key players were gone or going – chief among them Florian Wirtz, Piero Hincapié, Jeremie Frimpong, Amine Adli, Granit Xhaka, Lukas Hradecky and team leaders.

League Introduction

Quansah's Bundesliga debut came on August 23rd at home to Hoffenheim and the centre-half found the net after five minutes, though the achievement was undercut by tragedy. His primary thought was his former Liverpool teammate, who was tragically lost in a road incident. Quansah executed Jota's gamer celebration as a mark of respect.

"Scoring on your first Bundesliga match, in front of home fans, after five minutes, is definitely a rollercoaster," Quansah states. "But my overwhelming feeling was that it was a homage to Diogo."

Early Challenges

The player could have been forgiven for wondering what he had signed up for at Leverkusen. From the promising start in their opening league fixture, they succumbed to a narrow loss and the next match on 30 August was equally disappointing. The squad squandered comfortable advantages to draw 3-3 at 10-man Werder Bremen, the tying goal coming in added time. It was no longer his responsibility for very long. His dismissal came on September 1st.

Staying Focused

Quansah doesn't appear to be the type to fret. If composure characterizes his playing style, it was evident during the conversation he participated in after joining the national team for the Wembley friendly against Wales and the qualifying match against Latvia.

Quansah has remained focused under the current coach, Kasper Hjulmand, and continued to do what he originally planned to do at the club – play. The new manager has established consistency. His team have three wins and one draw in four league matches along with draws in each of their European matches. But there is a more significant number that motivates the player, even bringing a measure of vindication. It is the one which shows he has been ever-present of the club's campaign.

International Recognition

It is one that Thomas Tuchel has noted. The England head coach was a fan last season, selecting Quansah when he named his first squad. After leaving him out in the summer so that Quansah could focus on the Under-21 European Championship, he provided him with a late call-up in the autumn when the experienced defender was forced to withdraw.

Yet to earn his first cap, Quansah must have done something right in training and around the camp because he was selected at the beginning in the manager's 24‑man group for Wales and Latvia, essentially as a fifth centre-back with Stones fit again. The aspiration is a first appearance. It is one more milestone he would surely handle with ease.

Decision Making

"At Leverkusen, the club were keen on signing me for a considerable time and that's not only from the coach," Quansah says. "Their interest existed before he got appointed. So knowing it was a type of internal decision and things would remain consistent with which manager was to come in ... it was easy for me to make that decision.

"There were a lot of players leaving and it's consistently challenging when you see important figures leave. It has been difficult to build the leadership groups but the outcomes we have had recently demonstrate that we have developed a competitive team with quality players. It is requiring patience to build and we are not where we want to be. But if we are getting results and not losing that is a good place to start."

Liverpool Departure

It had to have been a wrench for Quansah to depart from Liverpool, his club from the age of five, where he enjoyed so many significant occasions – such as the league cup triumph over their London rivals in 2023‑24 when he came on as an late replacement.

Quansah was also involved in the previous campaign's domestic championship success. Yet his perspective of most of that achievement was not the one he would have chosen. He was an non-playing reserve on multiple matches in the competition, his four starts and nine appearances comparing unfavourably with his numbers from 2023‑24 when he featured more regularly.

Professional Growth

"I consistently developed off some of the best players around me at my former club and it's been incredibly beneficial for my career," he says. "However, for a developing defender, you require match experience and I'm going to be needing hundreds of games to be at my desired level.

"My primary desire was regular playing opportunities and when you are at a team like Liverpool, it's not guaranteed because there are world-class players all over the pitch. I wanted somewhere where they can trust that I might make mistakes at times but they will look under that and recognize I can continue developing and improving."

Early Experience

Quansah remembers his loan to League One Bristol Rovers in the later part of that season where he made his first senior appearances – multiple matches, to be precise. There were "multiple reality checks", he says with a grin, starting with his debut; a heavy loss at Morecambe.

"That was a genuine revelation," Quansah reflects. "It was a really valuable part of my career because I wanted to make the next step to playing first-team football. Each match I learned something new. That's when I knew how crucial experience and match practice was. You could say it influenced my decision in the off-season."