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"From the outside, it appears crazy," Jarell Quansah 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 unpredictable game."

A Quick Recap

Shortly after winning the U21 European Championship with the English national team at the end of June, Quansah opted to depart from his childhood club, to go to Bayer Leverkusen in a £30m deal.

The significant transfer sum equalled high expectations as the young defender was tasked with settling in in a foreign land and at a club where the turnover was substantial. The new manager had stepped in to replace the previous coach and a host of star performers were departing or already left – including several high-profile names, key squad members, Jeremie Frimpong, prominent athletes, experienced professionals, established players and Jonathan Tah.

League Introduction

Quansah's first league appearance came on 23 August at their home ground to their opponents and the central defender scored after five minutes, albeit the achievement was undercut by sadness. All he could think about was his former Liverpool teammate, 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 Bundesliga debut, at home, after five minutes, is definitely a rollercoaster," Quansah states. "But my overwhelming feeling was that it was a homage to Diogo."

Early Challenges

The defender could have been excused for questioning what he had signed up for at Leverkusen. After the encouraging beginning in their first league game, they succumbed to a narrow loss and the following game on August 30th was just as bad. The squad squandered comfortable advantages to draw 3-3 at 10-man Werder Bremen, the tying goal coming in added time. It was not Ten Hag's team for very long. He was sacked on September 1st.

Staying Focused

Quansah does not come across as the type to fret. If composure defines his game, it was on show during the interview he gave after being selected for England for the international friendly against their rivals and the World Cup qualifier against their next opponents.

Quansah has remained focused under the new Leverkusen manager, Kasper Hjulmand, and continued to do what he always intended to do at the team – play. Hjulmand has brought stability. His squad have positive results in four league matches along with ties 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 the England head coach has noted. 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 concentrate on the Under-21 European Championship, he provided him with a last-minute inclusion in the autumn when John Stones was forced to withdraw.

Still to win his international debut, Quansah must have impressed sufficiently in practice sessions and around the camp because he was named at the outset in the manager's squad selection for Wales and Latvia, essentially as a fifth centre-back with Stones fit again. The dream is a first appearance. 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 considerable time and that's not only from the coach," Quansah explains. "Their interest existed prior to his arrival. So knowing it was a type of internal decision and things would remain consistent with whatever coach was to come in ... it was easy for me to choose this path.

"There were a numerous squad members leaving and it's always tough when you see important figures leave. It has been difficult to establish new hierarchies but the outcomes we have had [under Hjulmand] show that we have got a competitive team with talented individuals. It is requiring patience to develop and we are not where we want to be. 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 Liverpool, his club from the age of five, where he enjoyed so many memorable moments – such as the Carabao Cup final victory over Chelsea in the previous season 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 most of that achievement was not the perspective he would have chosen. He was an non-playing reserve on 25 occasions in the league, his limited playing time comparing unfavourably with his statistics from 2023‑24 when he started nine games.

Professional Growth

"I consistently developed off some of the best players around me at my former club and it's been so good for my professional development," he says. "However, for a developing defender, you need games and I'm will require extensive playing time to be at my desired level.

"I just wanted game time and when you are at a team like Liverpool, it's not promised because there are world-class players all over the pitch. I wanted somewhere where they can have confidence that I could errors at times but they will look under that and see 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 – multiple matches, to be precise. There were "multiple reality checks", he says with a smile, starting with his debut; a heavy loss at Morecambe.

"That was a genuine revelation," Quansah reflects. "It was a extremely important chapter in my development because I wanted to make the subsequent progression to regular senior competition. Every game I gained fresh insights. That's where I understood how valuable practical knowledge and match practice was. You could say it influenced my decision in the off-season."