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"To an observer, it appears crazy," Jarell Quansah remarks, as he reflects on his recent summer, when dizzying change 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 decided to leave Liverpool, to join the Bundesliga side in a £30m deal.

The significant transfer sum equalled high expectations as the young defender was charged with settling in in a new country and at a team where the turnover was substantial. The new manager had taken over to replace Xabi Alonso and a number of key players were departing or already left – including several high-profile names, key squad members, Jeremie Frimpong, prominent athletes, experienced professionals, established players and team leaders.

League Introduction

Quansah's Bundesliga debut came on 23 August at their home ground to Hoffenheim and the centre-half scored after the opening minutes, though the achievement was overshadowed by tragedy. His primary thought was Diogo Jota, who was killed in a car accident. Quansah performed his teammate's signature celebration as a tribute.

"Scoring on your Bundesliga debut, in front of home fans, after five minutes, is certainly a rollercoaster," Quansah says. "However, my dominant emotion was that it was a tribute to Diogo."

Early Challenges

The defender could have been excused for questioning what he had signed up for at Leverkusen. From the promising start in their first league game, they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat and the next match on 30 August was just as bad. The squad threw away 2-0 and 3-1 leads to draw 3-3 at their reduced opponents, the equaliser coming in added time. It was not Ten Hag's team for very long. His dismissal came on 1 September.

Staying Focused

Quansah doesn't appear to be the kind to worry. If composure defines his game, it was evident during the interview he gave after joining the national team for the international friendly against Wales and the qualifying match against Latvia.

Quansah has remained focused under the current coach, the Danish tactician, and continued to do what he always intended to do at the club – compete. Hjulmand has established consistency. 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 motivates the player, even bringing a measure of vindication. It is the one which shows he has been ever-present of the team's season.

International Recognition

It is something that the England head coach has noted. The England head coach was a admirer last season, selecting Quansah when he announced his initial selection. After omitting him in the summer so that Quansah could concentrate on the youth tournament, 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 impressed sufficiently in training and within the squad environment because he was named at the beginning in Tuchel's 24‑man group for the upcoming matches, effectively as a fifth centre-back with the regular starter returning. The dream is a first appearance. It is one more milestone he would surely take in his stride.

Career Choices

"At Leverkusen, the team were interested in me for a considerable time and that's not just from the manager [Ten Hag]," Quansah says. "Their interest existed prior to his arrival. So knowing it was a sort of internal decision and nothing would change with which manager was to come in ... it was straightforward for me to make that decision.

"There were a lot of players leaving and it's consistently challenging when you lose key players. It has been difficult to establish new hierarchies but the outcomes we have had [under Hjulmand] demonstrate that we have developed a good squad 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 avoiding defeats that is a solid foundation to start."

Leaving Childhood Club

It had to have been a difficult separation for Quansah to depart from Liverpool, his club from the age of five, where he enjoyed so many memorable moments – such as the league cup triumph over their London rivals in 2023‑24 when he was introduced as an late replacement.

Quansah was also a part of the previous campaign's domestic championship success. Yet his view of most of that achievement was not the one he would have preferred. He was an non-playing reserve on 25 occasions in the league, his limited playing time comparing unfavourably with his statistics 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 comments. "But as a young centre-back, you require match experience 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 team like Liverpool, it's not promised because there are world-class players throughout the squad. I wanted an environment where they can have confidence that I might make mistakes at certain moments but they will look under that and recognize I can continue developing and pushing."

Foundation Building

Quansah remembers his loan to the lower division club in the second-half of 2022-23 where he made his first senior appearances – multiple matches, to be exact. There were "numerous wake-up calls", he says with a grin, beginning with his first game; a 5-1 defeat at their opponents.

"That represented a genuine revelation," Quansah says. "It was a extremely important chapter in my development because I aimed to take the next step to regular senior competition. Every game I learned something new. That's where I knew how valuable practical knowledge and match practice was. You could say it influenced my decision in the summer."