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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 Quick Recap

Days after claiming victory in the European Under-21 Championship with the English national team at the end of June, Quansah opted to depart from his childhood club, to go to the Bundesliga side in a £30m deal.

The big fee brought high expectations as the young defender was tasked with settling in in a new country and at a team where the turnover was substantial. The new manager had stepped in to succeed the previous coach and a host of key players were gone or going – chief among them Florian Wirtz, Piero Hincapié, Jeremie Frimpong, Amine Adli, Granit Xhaka, Lukas Hradecky and team leaders.

League Introduction

Quansah's first league appearance came on 23 August at their home ground to Hoffenheim and the centre-half scored after five minutes, though the goal was undercut by tragedy. All he could think about was Diogo Jota, who was killed in a car accident. Quansah performed his teammate's signature celebration as a mark of respect.

"To have a goal on your Bundesliga debut, in front of home fans, after the opening moments, is definitely a whirlwind," Quansah states. "However, my dominant emotion was that it was a homage to Diogo."

Early Challenges

The player 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 following game on August 30th was equally disappointing. Ten Hag's team squandered comfortable advantages to finish level at 10-man Werder Bremen, the equaliser coming in stoppage time. It was no longer his responsibility for very long. His dismissal came on 1 September.

Staying Focused

Quansah doesn't appear to be the type to fret. If calmness characterizes his playing style, it was evident during the interview he participated in after joining England for the international friendly against Wales and the World Cup qualifier against their next opponents.

Quansah has kept his head down under the new Leverkusen manager, the Danish tactician, and persisted in doing what he always intended to do at the club – play. The new manager has brought stability. His team have positive results in their domestic campaign along with draws 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 fact that demonstrates he has been ever-present of the team's season.

National Team Attention

It is one that Thomas Tuchel has noted. The national team manager was a fan last season, selecting Quansah when he announced his initial selection. After leaving him out in the summer so that Quansah could focus on the Under-21 European Championship, he gave him a late call-up in September when John Stones was compelled to pull out.

Still to win his international debut, Quansah must have done something right in practice sessions and within the squad environment because he was named at the outset in Tuchel's squad selection for the upcoming matches, effectively as a additional defensive option with the regular starter returning. The dream is a first appearance. It is another thing he would surely handle with ease.

Career Choices

"At Leverkusen, the team were interested in me for a considerable time and that's not only from the manager [Ten Hag]," Quansah explains. "Their interest existed prior to his arrival. So knowing it was a type of organizational choice and things would remain consistent with whatever coach was to take over ... it was straightforward for me to choose this path.

"We had a lot of players leaving and it's always tough when you see important figures leave. It has been tough to build the leadership groups but the results we have had [under Hjulmand] demonstrate that we have got a good squad with quality players. It is going to take time to develop and we are still progressing. But if we are achieving positive outcomes and avoiding defeats that is a good place to begin from."

Liverpool Departure

It had to have been a difficult separation for Quansah to leave his long-time club, his team since childhood, 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 extra-time substitute.

Quansah was also involved in last season's Premier League title triumph. Yet his perspective of most of that achievement was not the perspective he would have chosen. He was an non-playing reserve on 25 occasions in the competition, his four starts and nine appearances falling short compared to his statistics from 2023‑24 when he featured more regularly.

Career Development

"I consistently developed off some of the best players around me at my former club and it's been incredibly beneficial for my professional development," he comments. "But as a young centre-back, you need games 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 team like Liverpool, it's not promised because there are elite performers all over the pitch. I wanted somewhere where they can trust that I might make mistakes at certain moments but they will see beyond that and see I can keep pushing and improving."

Foundation Building

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 grin, beginning with his debut; a 5-1 defeat at their opponents.

"That represented a genuine revelation," Quansah says. "It was a extremely important chapter in my development because I wanted to make the next step to regular senior competition. Every game I learned something new. That's where I knew how crucial experience and playing games was. You could suggest it influenced my choice in the off-season."