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"From the outside, it appears insane," the young defender says, as he looks back 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 winning the European Under-21 Championship with England at the end of June, Quansah opted to depart from Liverpool, to join Bayer Leverkusen in a multi-million pound transfer.

The big fee brought big pressure as the 22-year-old was tasked with settling in in a new country and at a club where the churn was substantial. Erik ten Hag had stepped in to replace the previous coach and a host of key players were departing or already left – including Florian Wirtz, Piero Hincapié, influential figures, Amine Adli, Granit Xhaka, Lukas Hradecky and team leaders.

Bundesliga Debut

Quansah's first league appearance came on 23 August at their home ground to their opponents and the central defender scored after five minutes, though the achievement was overshadowed by sadness. His primary thought was Diogo Jota, who was killed in a car accident. Quansah performed his teammate's signature celebration as a tribute.

"To have a goal on your Bundesliga debut, at home, after the opening moments, is certainly a rollercoaster," Quansah says. "But my overwhelming feeling was that it was a tribute to Diogo."

Initial Struggles

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 following game on August 30th was equally disappointing. Ten Hag's team squandered comfortable advantages to finish level at their reduced opponents, the tying goal coming in stoppage time. It was no longer his responsibility for very long. His dismissal came on September 1st.

Staying Focused

Quansah does not come across as the kind to worry. If composure defines his game, it was evident during the conversation he gave after joining England for the international friendly against their rivals and the qualifying match against Latvia.

Quansah has kept his head down under the new Leverkusen manager, the Danish tactician, and continued to do what he originally planned to do at the club – play. The new manager has established consistency. His squad have three wins and one draw in four league matches along with draws 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 club's campaign.

International Recognition

It is one that Thomas Tuchel has observed. The England head coach was a admirer last season, including him when he announced his initial selection. After leaving him out in June so that Quansah could concentrate on the Under-21 European Championship, he provided him with a late call-up in September when the experienced defender was forced to withdraw.

Still to win his international debut, Quansah must have done something right in training 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 Stones fit again. The aspiration is a first appearance. It is another thing he would surely take in his stride.

Career Choices

"At Leverkusen, the team were keen on signing me for a considerable time and that's not only from the manager [Ten Hag]," Quansah says. "Their interest existed prior to his arrival. So understanding it was a sort of organizational choice and things would remain consistent with whatever coach was to come in ... it was straightforward for me to make that decision.

"We had a numerous squad members departing 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 [under Hjulmand] demonstrate that we have got a competitive team with talented individuals. It is requiring patience to build and we are not where we want to be. But if we are achieving positive outcomes and not losing that is a solid foundation to begin from."

Leaving Childhood Club

It had to have been a wrench for Quansah to depart from his long-time club, his club from the age of five, where he experienced 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 involved in the previous campaign's domestic championship success. Yet his view of much of that was not the one he would have preferred. 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.

Career Development

"I consistently developed off some of the best players around me at my former club and it's been so good for my career," he says. "However, for a developing defender, you require match experience and I'm will require hundreds of games to be where I want to be.

"I just wanted regular playing opportunities and when you are at a team like Liverpool, it's not guaranteed because there are world-class players all over the pitch. I wanted somewhere where they can have confidence that I might make mistakes at times but they will see beyond that and recognize I can continue developing and pushing."

Early Experience

Quansah recalls his loan to the lower division club in the later part of that season where he debuted at professional level – 16 of them, to be precise. There were "numerous wake-up calls", he notes with a smile, starting with his first game; a 5-1 defeat at their opponents.

"That represented a genuine revelation," Quansah reflects. "It was 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 practical knowledge and match practice was. You could say it influenced my choice in the off-season."