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"To an observer, it appears insane," Jarell Quansah remarks, as he looks back on his summer just gone, when dizzying change felt like a constant. "But it is one of them ... football is a unpredictable game."

A Brief Summary

Shortly after claiming victory in the U21 European Championship with England at the end of June, Quansah decided to leave Liverpool, to go to the Bundesliga side in a multi-million pound transfer.

The big fee brought big pressure as the young defender was tasked with settling in in a new country and at a team where the turnover was substantial. The new manager had taken over to succeed Xabi Alonso and a host of key players were gone or going – chief among them several high-profile names, key squad members, Jeremie Frimpong, prominent athletes, Granit Xhaka, established players and team leaders.

League Introduction

Quansah's Bundesliga debut came on 23 August at home to their opponents and the centre-half found the net after five minutes, though the goal was undercut by tragedy. All he could think about was Diogo Jota, who was killed in a car accident. Quansah performed his teammate's signature celebration as a tribute.

"To have a goal on your Bundesliga debut, in front of home fans, after the opening moments, is definitely a rollercoaster," Quansah states. "However, my dominant emotion was that it was a tribute to Diogo."

Initial Struggles

The defender could have been excused for questioning what he had committed to at Leverkusen. After the encouraging beginning in their first league game, they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat and the next match on August 30th was just as bad. Ten Hag's team threw away 2-0 and 3-1 leads to finish level at 10-man Werder Bremen, the equaliser coming in added time. It was no longer his responsibility for very long. He was sacked on 1 September.

Staying Focused

Quansah doesn't appear to be the type to fret. If composure characterizes his playing style, it was on show during the interview he participated in after joining England for the Wembley friendly against Wales and the World Cup qualifier against Latvia.

Quansah has kept his head down under the current coach, the Danish tactician, and persisted in doing what he always intended to do at the club – compete. The new manager has brought stability. His team have three wins and one draw in four league matches along with ties in each of their Champions League ties. But there is a broader statistic that encourages Quansah, even bringing a measure of vindication. It is the fact that demonstrates he has played every minute of the team's season.

International Recognition

It is something that Thomas Tuchel has noted. The national team manager 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 practice sessions and around the camp because he was named at the beginning in Tuchel's squad selection for Wales and Latvia, essentially as a additional defensive option with the regular starter returning. The dream is a first appearance. It is another thing he would certainly handle with ease.

Career Choices

"At Leverkusen, the team were keen on signing me for a considerable time and that's not just from the coach," Quansah says. "They were interested before he got appointed. So knowing it was a type of internal decision and things would remain consistent with whatever coach was to take over ... it was easy for me to choose this path.

"There were a lot of players departing and it's always tough when you see important figures leave. It has been difficult to build the leadership groups but the results we have had recently demonstrate that we have developed a good squad with talented individuals. It is going to take time to develop and we are still progressing. But if we are achieving positive outcomes and avoiding defeats that is a good place to start."

Liverpool Departure

It had to have been a wrench for Quansah to leave his long-time club, his club from the age of five, where he enjoyed so many significant occasions – such as the Carabao Cup final victory over their London rivals in the previous season when he was introduced as an extra-time substitute.

Quansah was also involved in last season's Premier League title triumph. Yet his perspective of most of that achievement was not the perspective he would have preferred. He was an unused substitute on multiple matches in the league, his limited playing time comparing unfavourably with his statistics from 2023‑24 when he started nine games.

Professional Growth

"I consistently developed off top-level professionals around me at Liverpool and it's been incredibly beneficial for my career," he says. "However, for a developing defender, you need games and I'm will require extensive playing time to be at my desired level.

"I just wanted game time and when you are at a top-level club, it's not guaranteed because there are elite performers all over the pitch. I wanted an environment where they can have confidence that I might make mistakes at times but they will look under that and see I can continue developing and pushing."

Foundation Building

Quansah remembers his temporary transfer to League One Bristol Rovers in the second-half of 2022-23 where he made his first senior appearances – 16 of them, to be exact. There were "numerous wake-up calls", he notes with a smile, beginning with his debut; a heavy loss at Morecambe.

"That represented a genuine revelation," Quansah reflects. "It was a really valuable part of my career because I aimed to take the subsequent progression to playing first-team football. Each match I gained fresh insights. That's where I understood how crucial experience and playing games was. You could say it influenced my decision in the summer."