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"To an observer, it seems crazy," Jarell Quansah remarks, as he reflects on his recent summer, when rapid transformation felt like a constant. "But it is one of them ... football is a crazy game."

A Brief Summary

Days after claiming victory in the European Under-21 Championship with England at the conclusion of June, Quansah decided to leave his childhood club, to go to Bayer Leverkusen in a £30m deal.

The big fee equalled big pressure as the 22-year-old was tasked with settling in in a foreign land and at a club where the churn was dramatic. Erik ten Hag had stepped in to replace the previous coach and a number of star performers were gone or going – chief among them several high-profile names, key squad members, influential figures, prominent athletes, experienced professionals, established players and team leaders.

Bundesliga Debut

Quansah's Bundesliga debut came on August 23rd at their home ground to their opponents and the centre-half scored after the opening minutes, though the goal was overshadowed by sadness. 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 definitely a rollercoaster," Quansah states. "But my overwhelming feeling was that it was a homage to Diogo."

Early Challenges

The player could have been excused for questioning what he had signed up for at the German club. After the encouraging beginning in their first league game, they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat and the next match on 30 August was just as bad. The squad threw away 2-0 and 3-1 leads to draw 3-3 at 10-man Werder Bremen, the tying goal 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 calmness defines his game, it was evident during the interview he gave after being selected for England for the Wembley friendly against Wales and the qualifying match 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 – compete. Hjulmand has brought stability. His team have positive results in four league matches along with draws in each of their European matches. But there is a more significant number that motivates the player, even bringing a measure of vindication. It is the one which shows he has played every minute of the team's season.

National Team Attention

It is one that Thomas Tuchel has observed. The national team manager was a admirer last season, selecting Quansah when he announced his initial selection. After omitting him in the summer so that Quansah could focus on the youth tournament, 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 within the squad environment because he was named at the outset in Tuchel's squad selection for Wales and Latvia, essentially as a additional defensive option with Stones fit again. The aspiration is a debut. It is another thing he would surely handle with ease.

Decision Making

"At Leverkusen, the team were interested in me for a while and that's not only from the manager [Ten Hag]," Quansah says. "They were interested prior to his arrival. So understanding it was a type of internal decision and things would remain consistent with which manager was to come in ... it was straightforward for me to make that decision.

"We had a lot of players leaving and it's always tough when you see important figures leave. It has been difficult to build the leadership groups but the results we have had [under Hjulmand] show that we have got a competitive team with quality players. It is going to take time to develop and we are not where we want to be. But if we are achieving positive outcomes and not losing that is a good place to start."

Liverpool Departure

It had to have been a wrench for Quansah to leave Liverpool, his team since childhood, where he experienced so many significant occasions – such as the league cup triumph over their London rivals in 2023‑24 when he came on as an extra-time substitute.

Quansah was also involved in the previous campaign's Premier League title triumph. Yet his perspective of much of that was not the perspective he would have preferred. He was an non-playing reserve on multiple matches in the league, his four starts and nine appearances falling short compared to his numbers from 2023‑24 when he featured more regularly.

Career Development

"I consistently developed 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.

"I just wanted regular playing opportunities and when you are at a top-level club, it's not guaranteed because there are elite performers all over the pitch. I wanted an environment where they can have confidence that I could errors at certain moments but they will see beyond that and recognize I can keep pushing and improving."

Early Experience

Quansah recalls his loan to League One Bristol Rovers in the second-half of 2022-23 where he made his first senior appearances – 16 of them, to be precise. There were "numerous wake-up calls", he says with a grin, beginning with his first game; a heavy loss at their opponents.

"That was a true eye-opener," Quansah says. "It proved a really valuable chapter in my development because I aimed to take the subsequent progression to playing first-team football. Every game I gained fresh insights. That's where I understood how crucial practical knowledge and match practice was. You could suggest it informed my decision in the off-season."