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"To an observer, it seems crazy," Jarell Quansah says, as he reflects 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

Shortly after claiming victory in the European Under-21 Championship with England at the conclusion of June, Quansah opted to depart from his childhood club, to join the Bundesliga side in a £30m deal.

The big fee brought high expectations as the 22-year-old was tasked with finding his feet in a new country and at a club where the churn was substantial. Erik ten Hag had stepped in to succeed the previous coach and a number of star performers were departing or already left – including Florian Wirtz, key squad members, influential figures, prominent athletes, Granit Xhaka, established players and Jonathan Tah.

League Introduction

Quansah's first league appearance came on 23 August at home to their opponents and the centre-half found the net after five minutes, albeit the achievement was undercut 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 five minutes, is definitely a whirlwind," Quansah states. "However, my dominant emotion was that it was a tribute to Diogo."

Initial Struggles

The player could have been excused for questioning what he had signed up for at the German club. From the promising start in their opening league fixture, they fell to a 2-1 defeat and the following game on 30 August was equally disappointing. Ten Hag's team threw away 2-0 and 3-1 leads to draw 3-3 at their reduced opponents, the tying goal coming in stoppage time. It was no longer his responsibility for very long. He was sacked on 1 September.

Staying Focused

Quansah doesn't appear to be the type to fret. If composure defines his game, it was evident during the interview he gave after being selected for England for the Wembley friendly against their rivals and the qualifying match against their next opponents.

Quansah has kept his head down under the new Leverkusen manager, Kasper Hjulmand, and persisted in doing what he always intended to do at the club – play. Hjulmand has established consistency. His squad have positive results in four league matches along with ties 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 been ever-present of the team's season.

National Team Attention

It is one that Thomas Tuchel has noted. The England head coach was a fan previously, including him when he announced his initial selection. After leaving him out in the summer so that Quansah could focus on the youth tournament, he gave him a last-minute inclusion in September when the experienced defender was forced to withdraw.

Yet to earn his first cap, Quansah must have done something right in training and within the squad environment because he was selected at the outset in the manager's 24‑man group for Wales and Latvia, effectively as a additional defensive option with Stones fit again. The dream is a debut. It is another thing he would certainly take in his stride.

Career Choices

"With my new club, the team were interested in me for a while and that's not just from the coach," Quansah says. "Their interest existed prior to his arrival. So knowing it was a sort of organizational choice and nothing would change with whatever coach was to take over ... it was straightforward for me to make that decision.

"There were a numerous squad members leaving and it's consistently challenging when you see important figures leave. It has been difficult to establish new hierarchies but the outcomes we have had [under Hjulmand] demonstrate that we have got a good squad with quality players. It is requiring patience to build and we are still progressing. But if we are getting results and avoiding defeats that is a good place to begin from."

Liverpool Departure

It had to have been a wrench for Quansah to depart from his long-time club, his team since childhood, where he enjoyed so many memorable moments – such as the Carabao Cup final victory over Chelsea in the previous season when he was introduced as an late replacement.

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 comparing unfavourably with his numbers from 2023‑24 when he started nine games.

Career Development

"I consistently developed off top-level professionals around me at Liverpool and it's been incredibly beneficial for my career," he comments. "However, for a developing defender, you need games and I'm will require extensive playing time to be at my desired level.

"My primary desire was game time 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 could errors at times but they will see beyond that and see I can continue developing and improving."

Foundation Building

Quansah recalls his loan to the lower division club in the second-half of 2022-23 where he made his first senior appearances – multiple matches, to be exact. There were "numerous wake-up calls", he notes with a smile, beginning with his first game; a 5-1 defeat at their opponents.

"That was a genuine revelation," Quansah reflects. "It proved a extremely important part of my career because I aimed to take the next step to regular senior competition. Every game I gained fresh insights. That's when I understood how valuable practical knowledge and match practice was. You could say it informed my decision in the summer."