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"To an observer, it appears crazy," the young defender says, as he looks back on his recent summer, when rapid transformation felt like a constant. "However, that's just how it goes ... football is a crazy game."

A Brief Summary

Shortly after claiming victory in the European Under-21 Championship with England at the end of June, Quansah opted to depart from Liverpool, to join the Bundesliga side in a multi-million pound transfer.

The significant transfer sum brought big pressure as the young defender was tasked with finding his feet in a new country and at a club where the turnover was substantial. The new manager had taken over to replace Xabi Alonso and a host of star performers were departing or already left – chief among them Florian Wirtz, key squad members, influential figures, Amine Adli, experienced professionals, established players and team leaders.

League Introduction

Quansah's first league appearance came on August 23rd at their home ground to Hoffenheim 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 tragically lost in a road incident. Quansah performed his teammate's signature celebration as a tribute.

"Scoring on your first Bundesliga match, at home, after five minutes, is definitely a rollercoaster," Quansah says. "But my overwhelming feeling was that it was a homage to Diogo."

Early Challenges

The player could have been forgiven for wondering what he had signed up for at the German club. After the encouraging beginning in their opening league fixture, they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat and the following game on August 30th was just as bad. The squad threw away comfortable advantages to draw 3-3 at their reduced opponents, the equaliser coming in stoppage time. It was not Ten Hag's team for much longer. He was sacked on September 1st.

Maintaining Composure

Quansah does not come across as the kind to worry. If composure defines his game, it was evident during the interview he participated in after being selected for the national team for the Wembley friendly against their rivals 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 – play. The new manager has brought stability. His team have three wins and one draw in four league matches along with draws in each of their European matches. But there is a broader statistic that encourages Quansah, even bringing a sense of justification. It is the fact that demonstrates he has played every minute of the club's campaign.

International Recognition

It is one that Thomas Tuchel has noted. The national team manager was a admirer previously, including him when he named his first squad. After omitting him in the summer so that Quansah could concentrate on the youth tournament, he gave him a late call-up 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 outset in Tuchel'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 one more milestone he would surely take in his stride.

Career Choices

"At Leverkusen, the club were keen on signing me for a considerable time and that's not just from the coach," Quansah says. "Their interest existed before he got appointed. So knowing it was a sort of organizational choice and nothing would change with whatever coach was to come in ... it was straightforward for me to make that decision.

"We had a lot of players departing and it's consistently challenging when you see important figures leave. It has been tough to build the leadership groups but the outcomes we have had recently demonstrate that we have developed a good squad with talented individuals. It is going to take time to develop and we are still progressing. 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 wrench for Quansah to leave his long-time club, his club from the age of five, where he experienced so many significant occasions – such as the Carabao Cup final victory over their London rivals in the previous season when he came on as an extra-time substitute.

Quansah was also a part of last season's Premier League title triumph. 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 limited playing time falling short compared to his statistics from 2023‑24 when he featured more regularly.

Professional Growth

"I consistently developed off top-level professionals around me at my former club and it's been incredibly beneficial for my career," he comments. "But as a young centre-back, you need games and I'm going to be needing extensive playing time to be where I want to be.

"My primary desire was game time 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 an environment where they can trust that I could errors at certain moments but they will see beyond that and recognize I can continue developing and improving."

Foundation Building

Quansah remembers his loan to the lower division club in the later part of that season where he made his first senior appearances – 16 of them, to be precise. There were "multiple reality checks", he notes with a grin, starting with his first game; a heavy loss at their opponents.

"That represented a genuine revelation," Quansah says. "It was a extremely important chapter in my development because I aimed to take the next step to regular senior competition. 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 summer."