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"To an observer, it appears crazy," the young defender says, as he reflects on his summer just gone, when dizzying change 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 conclusion of June, Quansah decided to leave Liverpool, to join the Bundesliga side in a multi-million pound transfer.

The big fee brought high expectations as the young defender was tasked with finding his feet in a foreign land and at a team where the churn was dramatic. The new manager had stepped in to replace Xabi Alonso and a host of key players were departing or already left – including Florian Wirtz, key squad members, Jeremie Frimpong, Amine Adli, Granit Xhaka, Lukas Hradecky and team leaders.

Bundesliga Debut

Quansah's Bundesliga debut came on August 23rd at home to Hoffenheim and the central defender scored after five 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 tribute.

"Scoring on your Bundesliga debut, at home, after five minutes, is certainly a whirlwind," Quansah says. "However, my dominant emotion 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 fell to a 2-1 defeat and the following game on August 30th was just as bad. The squad threw away 2-0 and 3-1 leads to finish level at 10-man Werder Bremen, the tying goal coming in stoppage time. It was not Ten Hag's team for very long. His dismissal came on September 1st.

Staying Focused

Quansah does not come across as the type to fret. If composure defines his game, it was evident during the conversation he gave after joining England for the Wembley friendly against Wales and the qualifying match against Latvia.

Quansah has remained focused under the new Leverkusen manager, the Danish tactician, and continued to do what he always intended to do at the club – compete. The new manager has brought stability. His squad have positive results in their domestic campaign along with ties in each of their European matches. But there is a more significant number that encourages Quansah, even bringing a measure of vindication. It is the fact that demonstrates 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 last season, selecting Quansah when he named his first squad. After leaving him out in the summer so that Quansah could concentrate on the Under-21 European Championship, he provided him with a last-minute inclusion in September when John Stones was forced to withdraw.

Yet to earn his international debut, Quansah must have done something right in training and around the camp because he was selected at the beginning in Tuchel's 24‑man group for Wales and Latvia, effectively as a additional defensive option with Stones fit again. The aspiration is a debut. It is one more milestone he would certainly take in his stride.

Career Choices

"With my new club, the club were interested in me for a while and that's not just from the coach," Quansah explains. "Their interest existed prior to his arrival. So knowing it was a type of internal decision and nothing would change with whatever coach was to take over ... it was easy for me to choose this path.

"We had a numerous squad members departing and it's always tough when you see important figures leave. It has been tough to build the leadership groups but the outcomes we have had [under Hjulmand] show that we have developed a good squad with quality players. It is going to take time to develop and we are still progressing. But if we are getting results and avoiding defeats that is a solid foundation to begin from."

Leaving Childhood Club

It had to have been a wrench for Quansah to leave Liverpool, his club from the age of five, where he enjoyed so many significant occasions – such as the Carabao Cup final victory over Chelsea in 2023‑24 when he was introduced as an late replacement.

Quansah was also involved in last season's domestic championship success. Yet his perspective of much of that was not the one he would have preferred. He was an unused substitute 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 top-level professionals around me at my former club and it's been incredibly beneficial for my career," he says. "However, for a developing defender, you require match experience and I'm going to be needing hundreds of games to be where I want to be.

"My primary desire was regular playing opportunities and when you are at a team like Liverpool, it's not guaranteed because there are elite performers throughout the squad. I wanted somewhere where they can have confidence that I might make mistakes at certain moments but they will see beyond that and recognize I can keep pushing and pushing."

Foundation Building

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 exact. There were "multiple reality checks", he says with a smile, beginning with his first game; a heavy loss at their opponents.

"That represented a true eye-opener," Quansah reflects. "It was a really valuable part of my career because I aimed to take the subsequent progression to playing first-team football. Each match I learned something new. That's when I understood how crucial practical knowledge and playing games was. You could say it influenced my choice in the off-season."