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

A Brief Summary

Shortly after winning the European Under-21 Championship with England at the conclusion of June, Quansah opted to depart from Liverpool, to go to the Bundesliga side in a £30m deal.

The big fee brought high expectations as the young defender was tasked with settling in in a new country and at a team where the turnover was dramatic. Erik ten Hag had taken over to replace the previous coach and a host of star performers were gone or going – chief among them several high-profile names, Piero Hincapié, influential figures, Amine Adli, experienced professionals, established players and Jonathan Tah.

League Introduction

Quansah's Bundesliga debut came on August 23rd at home to Hoffenheim and the centre-half scored after the opening 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 tribute.

"Scoring on your Bundesliga debut, at home, after the opening moments, is certainly a whirlwind," Quansah says. "But my overwhelming feeling was that it was a tribute to Diogo."

Early Challenges

The player could have been forgiven for wondering what he had signed up for at Leverkusen. After the encouraging beginning in their opening league fixture, they succumbed to a narrow loss and the next match on 30 August was equally disappointing. Ten Hag's team squandered 2-0 and 3-1 leads 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 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 gave after joining the national team for the Wembley friendly against Wales and the World Cup qualifier against their next opponents.

Quansah has remained focused under the new Leverkusen manager, the Danish tactician, and continued to do what he always intended to do at the club – compete. The new manager has established consistency. His team have three wins and one draw in their domestic campaign along with draws in each of their Champions League ties. 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.

National Team Attention

It is one that Thomas Tuchel has observed. The England head coach was a fan previously, selecting Quansah when he named his first squad. After omitting him in June so that Quansah could concentrate on the youth tournament, he provided him with a last-minute inclusion in the autumn when John Stones was forced to withdraw.

Still to win his first cap, Quansah must have done something right in practice sessions and within the squad environment because he was selected at the beginning in the manager's 24‑man group for Wales and Latvia, effectively as a fifth centre-back with Stones fit again. The aspiration is a first appearance. It is one more milestone he would certainly take in his stride.

Decision Making

"At Leverkusen, the club were keen on signing me for a considerable time and that's not just from the manager [Ten Hag]," Quansah says. "They were interested prior to his arrival. So knowing it was a sort of organizational choice and things would remain consistent with which manager was to take over ... it was straightforward for me to make that decision.

"There were a numerous squad members leaving and it's always tough when you lose key players. It has been tough to build the leadership groups but the results we have had recently demonstrate that we have got a competitive team with quality players. It is going to take time to develop and we are still progressing. But if we are getting results and avoiding defeats that is a solid foundation to start."

Liverpool Departure

It had to have been a difficult separation for Quansah to depart from his long-time club, his team since childhood, where he experienced so many memorable moments – such as the Carabao Cup final victory over Chelsea in 2023‑24 when he came on as an extra-time substitute.

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

Career Development

"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 extensive playing time 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 promised because there are elite performers throughout the squad. I wanted somewhere where they can have confidence that I could errors at times but they will see beyond that and recognize I can keep pushing and improving."

Early Experience

Quansah recalls his temporary transfer to League One Bristol Rovers in the second-half of 2022-23 where he made his first senior appearances – multiple matches, to be precise. There were "multiple reality checks", he says with a smile, beginning with his first game; a 5-1 defeat at their opponents.

"That was a genuine revelation," Quansah reflects. "It proved a extremely important chapter in my development because I aimed to take the subsequent progression to playing first-team football. Every game I learned something new. That's when I knew how valuable experience and match practice was. You could say it influenced my decision in the summer."