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"To an observer, it seems crazy," Jarell Quansah remarks, as he reflects on his recent summer, when dizzying change felt like a constant. "However, that's just how it goes ... football is a unpredictable game."

A Brief Summary

Shortly after claiming victory in the U21 European Championship with the English national team at the end of June, Quansah opted to depart from Liverpool, to go to Bayer Leverkusen in a £30m deal.

The significant transfer sum equalled big pressure as the young defender was tasked with finding his feet in a new country and at a club where the turnover was dramatic. The new manager had taken over to succeed the previous coach and a host of star performers were gone or going – including Florian Wirtz, key squad members, Jeremie Frimpong, Amine Adli, experienced professionals, Lukas Hradecky and Jonathan Tah.

Bundesliga Debut

Quansah's first league appearance came on 23 August at their home ground to Hoffenheim and the centre-half found the net after five minutes, albeit the achievement was overshadowed by sadness. All he could think about was his former Liverpool teammate, who was killed in a car accident. Quansah performed his teammate's signature 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 tribute to Diogo."

Initial Struggles

The defender could have been excused for questioning what he had committed to at Leverkusen. From the promising start in their opening league fixture, they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat and the following game on August 30th was equally disappointing. The squad squandered 2-0 and 3-1 leads to draw 3-3 at their reduced opponents, the tying goal coming in added time. It was no longer his responsibility for much longer. His dismissal came on September 1st.

Maintaining Composure

Quansah doesn't appear to be the type to fret. If composure defines his game, it was on show during the interview he participated in after joining the national team for the Wembley friendly against Wales and the World Cup qualifier 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 – play. The new manager has established consistency. His squad have positive results in their domestic campaign along with ties in each of their Champions League ties. But there is a broader statistic that motivates the player, even bringing a sense of justification. It is the one which shows he has been ever-present 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 concentrate on the youth tournament, he gave him a last-minute inclusion in September when John Stones was forced to withdraw.

Yet to earn his international debut, Quansah must have impressed sufficiently in practice sessions and within the squad environment because he was selected at the beginning in Tuchel's squad selection for Wales and Latvia, essentially as a additional defensive option with the regular starter returning. The aspiration is a first appearance. It is another thing he would certainly handle with ease.

Decision Making

"With my new club, the team were interested in me for a considerable time and that's not just from the coach," Quansah says. "Their interest existed prior to his arrival. So understanding it was a type of organizational choice and nothing would change with which manager was to take over ... it was easy for me to choose this path.

"There were a numerous squad members departing and it's consistently challenging when you see important figures leave. It has been difficult to establish new hierarchies but the outcomes we have had recently demonstrate that we have developed a competitive team with quality players. It is going to take time to build and we are still progressing. But if we are getting results and avoiding defeats that is a good place to start."

Leaving Childhood Club

It had to have been a wrench for Quansah to leave Liverpool, his club from the age of five, where he experienced so many significant occasions – such as the league cup triumph over Chelsea in the previous season when he was introduced 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 perspective he would have chosen. He was an unused substitute on multiple matches in the competition, his limited playing time falling short compared to his statistics from 2023‑24 when he featured more regularly.

Professional Growth

"I've always learned off top-level professionals around me at my former club and it's been so good 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 where I want to be.

"I just wanted regular playing opportunities and when you are at a team like Liverpool, it's not guaranteed because there are elite performers throughout the squad. I wanted an environment where they can trust that I could errors at times but they will look under that and see I can keep pushing and pushing."

Early Experience

Quansah remembers his loan to League One Bristol Rovers in the later part of that season where he debuted at professional level – 16 of them, to be exact. There were "multiple reality checks", he notes with a smile, starting with his debut; a 5-1 defeat at Morecambe.

"That was a true eye-opener," Quansah reflects. "It was a extremely important part of my career because I aimed to take the next step to regular senior competition. Every game I gained fresh insights. That's where I understood how valuable practical knowledge and playing games was. You could suggest it influenced my decision in the off-season."