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"To an observer, it appears crazy," Jarell Quansah says, 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 Quick Recap

Shortly after winning the European Under-21 Championship with the English national team at the end of June, Quansah decided to leave Liverpool, to join Bayer Leverkusen in a multi-million pound transfer.

The significant transfer sum equalled high expectations as the young defender was charged with finding his feet in a new country and at a club where the turnover was substantial. The new manager had taken over to replace the previous coach and a host of star performers were departing or already left – 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 23 August at their home ground to their opponents and the central defender found the net after five minutes, albeit the goal was undercut by tragedy. All he could think about was his former Liverpool teammate, who was tragically lost in a road incident. Quansah performed his teammate's signature celebration as a mark of respect.

"To have a goal on your first Bundesliga match, in front of home fans, after five minutes, is certainly a rollercoaster," Quansah states. "However, my dominant emotion was that it was a homage to Diogo."

Initial Struggles

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 2-1 defeat and the next match on August 30th was equally disappointing. Ten Hag's team threw away comfortable advantages to finish level at their reduced opponents, the equaliser coming in stoppage time. It was not Ten Hag's team for very long. He was sacked on September 1st.

Maintaining Composure

Quansah does not come across as the type to fret. If calmness characterizes his playing style, it was on show during the conversation he gave after being selected for England for the Wembley friendly against Wales and the qualifying match against Latvia.

Quansah has remained focused under the new Leverkusen manager, the Danish tactician, and persisted in doing what he always intended to do at the team – play. The new manager has established consistency. His squad have positive results in four league matches along with draws in each of their Champions League ties. But there is a more significant number that motivates the player, even bringing a sense of justification. It is the one which shows he has played every minute of the team's season.

International Recognition

It is one that Thomas Tuchel has observed. The England head coach was a fan previously, including him when he announced his initial selection. After omitting him in June so that Quansah could concentrate on the Under-21 European Championship, he gave him a late call-up in September when the experienced defender was compelled to pull out.

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 the manager's 24‑man group for the upcoming matches, essentially as a additional defensive option with Stones fit again. The dream is a debut. It is one more milestone he would certainly handle with ease.

Decision Making

"With my new club, the club were keen on signing me for a while and that's not just from the coach," Quansah explains. "They were interested prior to his arrival. So understanding it was a sort of organizational choice and things would remain consistent with which manager was to come in ... it was easy 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 [under Hjulmand] show that we have developed a competitive team with quality players. It is requiring patience to develop and we are not where we want to be. But if we are getting results and not losing that is a solid foundation to begin from."

Leaving Childhood Club

It had to have been a difficult separation for Quansah to depart from Liverpool, his team since childhood, where he enjoyed so many significant occasions – such as the league cup triumph over Chelsea in 2023‑24 when he came on as an late replacement.

Quansah was also involved in last season's domestic championship success. Yet his perspective of most of that achievement was not the perspective he would have preferred. He was an non-playing reserve on multiple matches in the league, his four starts and nine appearances comparing unfavourably with his numbers from 2023‑24 when he started nine games.

Professional Growth

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

"My primary desire was regular playing opportunities and when you are at a top-level club, it's not promised because there are world-class players all over the pitch. I wanted an environment where they can have confidence that I might make mistakes at certain moments but they will see beyond that and recognize I can continue developing and pushing."

Early Experience

Quansah recalls his loan 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 "numerous wake-up calls", he notes with a grin, beginning with his first game; a 5-1 defeat at Morecambe.

"That represented a true eye-opener," Quansah says. "It proved a extremely important part of my career because I aimed to take the next step to playing first-team football. Every game I gained fresh insights. That's where I knew how crucial practical knowledge and match practice was. You could suggest it influenced my choice in the off-season."