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"From the outside, it appears insane," Jarell Quansah says, as he looks back on his summer just gone, when rapid transformation felt like a constant. "However, that's just how it goes ... football is a unpredictable game."

A Quick Recap

Days after claiming victory in the European Under-21 Championship with England at the end of June, Quansah opted to depart from his childhood club, to join Bayer Leverkusen in a multi-million pound transfer.

The significant transfer sum brought big pressure as the 22-year-old was tasked with settling in in a new country and at a team where the churn was dramatic. Erik ten Hag had taken over to replace Xabi Alonso and a number of key players were departing or already left – chief among them several high-profile names, Piero Hincapié, influential figures, Amine Adli, Granit Xhaka, established players and team leaders.

Bundesliga Debut

Quansah's Bundesliga debut came on 23 August at their home ground to their opponents and the central defender scored after the opening minutes, though the achievement was overshadowed by tragedy. All he could think about was Diogo Jota, 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, at home, after the opening moments, is certainly a whirlwind," Quansah says. "But my overwhelming feeling was that it was a homage to Diogo."

Early Challenges

The defender could have been excused for questioning what he had committed to at the German club. After the encouraging beginning in their opening league fixture, they succumbed to a narrow loss and the following game on August 30th was equally disappointing. Ten Hag's team squandered comfortable advantages to draw 3-3 at their reduced opponents, the equaliser coming in added time. It was no longer his responsibility for very long. His dismissal came on September 1st.

Maintaining Composure

Quansah does not come across as the kind to worry. If composure characterizes his playing style, it was evident during the interview he gave after being selected for the national team for the international friendly against Wales and the World Cup qualifier against Latvia.

Quansah has kept his head down under the current coach, the Danish tactician, and continued to do what he originally planned to do at the team – play. Hjulmand has brought stability. His squad have positive results in four league matches along with ties in each of their Champions League ties. But there is a broader statistic that encourages Quansah, even bringing a measure of vindication. It is the one which shows he has played every minute of the club's campaign.

National Team Attention

It is one that the England head coach has noted. The national team manager was a admirer previously, including him when he announced his initial selection. After omitting him in the summer 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 done something right in practice sessions and around the camp because he was selected at the outset in the manager's 24‑man group for the upcoming matches, effectively as a fifth centre-back with the regular starter returning. The dream is a debut. It is one more milestone he would certainly take in his stride.

Decision Making

"With my new club, the club were interested in me for a considerable time and that's not just from the coach," Quansah explains. "They were interested before he got appointed. 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 leaving and it's consistently challenging when you see important figures leave. It has been tough to build the leadership groups but the results we have had recently show that we have developed a good squad with quality players. It is going to take time 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 start."

Leaving Childhood Club

It had to have been a wrench for Quansah to leave Liverpool, his team since childhood, where he enjoyed so many significant occasions – such as the Carabao Cup final victory over their London rivals in 2023‑24 when he was introduced as an extra-time substitute.

Quansah was also a part of last season's domestic championship success. Yet his view of much of that was not the perspective he would have chosen. He was an non-playing reserve on multiple matches in the competition, his four starts and nine appearances falling short compared to his statistics from 2023‑24 when he featured more regularly.

Professional Growth

"I've always learned off some of the best players around me at Liverpool and it's been so good for my professional development," he says. "However, for a developing defender, you need games and I'm going to be needing extensive playing time to be where I want to be.

"My primary desire was game time and when you are at a top-level club, it's not guaranteed because there are world-class players throughout the squad. I wanted an environment where they can have confidence that I could errors at times but they will see beyond that and see I can continue developing and improving."

Early Experience

Quansah remembers his loan to League One Bristol Rovers in the later part of that season where he debuted at professional level – multiple matches, to be exact. There were "multiple reality checks", he says with a grin, beginning with his debut; a 5-1 defeat at their opponents.

"That was a true eye-opener," Quansah says. "It proved a extremely important part of my career because I wanted to make the next step to playing first-team football. Each match I gained fresh insights. That's when I knew how crucial experience and playing games was. You could say it informed my decision in the off-season."