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"To an observer, it seems insane," the young defender says, as he reflects on his recent summer, when dizzying change felt like a constant. "But it is one of them ... football is a unpredictable game."

A Brief Summary

Shortly after winning the U21 European Championship with the English national team at the conclusion of June, Quansah opted to depart from his childhood club, to join the Bundesliga side in a multi-million pound transfer.

The big fee equalled big pressure as the young defender was tasked with finding his feet in a foreign land and at a club where the turnover was substantial. Erik ten Hag had taken over to succeed the previous coach and a host of star performers were departing or already left – chief among them several high-profile names, key squad members, Jeremie Frimpong, prominent athletes, Granit Xhaka, Lukas Hradecky and team leaders.

Bundesliga Debut

Quansah's first league appearance came on August 23rd at home to Hoffenheim and the centre-half found the net after five minutes, though the goal was overshadowed by sadness. All he could think about was Diogo Jota, who was killed in a car accident. Quansah executed Jota's gamer celebration as a mark of respect.

"Scoring on your first Bundesliga match, at home, after five minutes, is certainly a rollercoaster," Quansah states. "However, my dominant emotion 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 fell to a 2-1 defeat and the next match on August 30th was just as bad. The squad squandered comfortable advantages to finish level at 10-man Werder Bremen, the equaliser coming in added time. It was no longer his responsibility for much longer. He was sacked on September 1st.

Staying Focused

Quansah doesn't appear to be the kind to worry. If composure defines his game, it was evident during the conversation he participated in 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, the Danish tactician, and persisted in doing what he always intended to do at the team – compete. Hjulmand has brought stability. His squad have three wins and one draw in their domestic campaign along with draws in each of their European matches. 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 been ever-present of the club's campaign.

International Recognition

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 focus on the Under-21 European Championship, he provided him with a last-minute inclusion in the autumn when John Stones was compelled to pull out.

Still to win his first cap, Quansah must have impressed sufficiently in training and within the squad environment because he was selected at the outset in Tuchel's squad selection for the upcoming matches, effectively as a fifth centre-back with Stones fit again. The dream is a first appearance. It is another thing he would certainly take in his stride.

Career Choices

"At Leverkusen, the club were interested in me for a while and that's not only from the coach," Quansah says. "Their interest existed before he got appointed. So understanding it was a sort of internal decision and things would remain consistent with which manager was to take over ... it was easy for me to make that decision.

"There were a numerous squad members departing and it's consistently challenging when you lose key players. It has been tough to build the leadership groups but the results we have had [under Hjulmand] demonstrate that we have developed a good squad 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 avoiding defeats that is a solid foundation to begin from."

Liverpool Departure

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 significant occasions – such as the league cup triumph over their London rivals in the previous season when he came on as an extra-time substitute.

Quansah was also a part of the previous campaign's Premier League title triumph. Yet his perspective of most of that achievement was not the one 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 statistics from the prior season when he started nine games.

Professional Growth

"I've always learned off top-level professionals 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 going to be needing hundreds of games to be at my desired level.

"My primary desire was game time and when you are at a team like Liverpool, it's not guaranteed 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 see 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 debuted at professional level – multiple matches, to be exact. There were "multiple reality checks", he notes with a grin, starting with his debut; a 5-1 defeat at Morecambe.

"That was a true eye-opener," Quansah says. "It was a extremely important chapter in my development because I wanted to make the next step to playing first-team football. Every game I gained fresh insights. That's where I knew how crucial practical knowledge and playing games was. You could suggest it informed my decision in the off-season."