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"From the outside, it seems crazy," the young defender remarks, as he reflects on his summer just gone, when dizzying change felt like a constant. "However, that's just how it goes ... football is a crazy game."

A Quick Recap

Days after winning the European Under-21 Championship with the English national team at the conclusion of June, Quansah opted to depart from Liverpool, to join Bayer Leverkusen in a multi-million pound transfer.

The big fee equalled high expectations as the 22-year-old was tasked with settling in in a new country and at a club where the turnover was substantial. The new manager had stepped in to replace the previous coach and a number of star performers were departing or already left – chief among them Florian Wirtz, key squad members, influential figures, Amine Adli, experienced professionals, Lukas Hradecky and Jonathan Tah.

Bundesliga Debut

Quansah's first league appearance came on August 23rd at their home ground to their opponents and the centre-half found the net after the opening minutes, albeit the achievement was overshadowed by sadness. All he could think about was Diogo Jota, who was tragically lost in a road incident. Quansah executed Jota's gamer 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 homage to Diogo."

Early Challenges

The defender could have been forgiven for wondering what he had committed to at Leverkusen. After the encouraging beginning in their first league game, they fell to a narrow loss and the next match on August 30th was equally disappointing. The squad threw away 2-0 and 3-1 leads to finish level at 10-man Werder Bremen, the tying goal coming in stoppage time. It was not Ten Hag's team for much longer. His dismissal came on 1 September.

Staying Focused

Quansah doesn't appear to be the kind to worry. If calmness characterizes his playing style, it was on show during the interview he gave after being selected for the national team for the international friendly against Wales and the qualifying match against Latvia.

Quansah has remained focused under the new Leverkusen manager, Kasper Hjulmand, and continued to do what he originally planned to do at the club – compete. Hjulmand has established consistency. His team have positive results 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 one that Thomas Tuchel has noted. The England head coach was a fan previously, selecting Quansah when he announced his initial selection. After leaving him out in the summer so that Quansah could concentrate on the Under-21 European Championship, he gave him a last-minute inclusion in September when John Stones was compelled to pull out.

Yet to earn his international debut, Quansah must have done something right in practice sessions and around the camp because he was named at the beginning in the manager's squad selection for Wales and Latvia, essentially as a fifth centre-back with Stones fit again. The dream is a debut. It is another thing he would surely handle with ease.

Career Choices

"At Leverkusen, the club were keen on signing me for a while and that's not just from the manager [Ten Hag]," Quansah explains. "Their interest existed prior to his arrival. So understanding 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 departing and it's always tough when you see important figures leave. It has been difficult to establish new hierarchies but the outcomes we have had [under Hjulmand] show that we have got a competitive team with quality players. It is going to take time to build and we are not where we want to be. But if we are getting results and not losing that is a good place to begin from."

Liverpool Departure

It had to have been a wrench for Quansah to depart from his long-time club, his team since childhood, where he experienced so many memorable moments – such as the league cup triumph over Chelsea in 2023‑24 when he was introduced as an extra-time substitute.

Quansah was also a part of last season's Premier League title triumph. Yet his view of most of that achievement was not the perspective he would have preferred. He was an non-playing reserve on multiple matches in the competition, his four starts and nine appearances comparing unfavourably with his statistics from 2023‑24 when he featured more regularly.

Career Development

"I've always learned off some of the best players around me at my former club and it's been incredibly beneficial for my professional development," he comments. "However, for a developing defender, you need games and I'm will require hundreds of games to be where I want to be.

"My primary desire was regular playing opportunities and when you are at a team like Liverpool, 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 times but they will look under that and recognize 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 made his first senior appearances – multiple matches, to be exact. There were "multiple reality checks", he says with a smile, beginning with his first game; a 5-1 defeat at Morecambe.

"That represented a genuine revelation," Quansah reflects. "It proved a extremely important part of my career because I wanted to make the subsequent progression to regular senior competition. Every game I learned something new. That's when I knew how valuable experience and match practice was. You could suggest it influenced my decision in the summer."