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"To an observer, it appears crazy," the young defender says, as he reflects on his summer just gone, when rapid transformation felt like a constant. "But it is one of them ... football is a crazy game."

A Brief Summary

Shortly after claiming victory in the European Under-21 Championship with the English national team at the end of June, Quansah opted to depart from his childhood club, to join Bayer Leverkusen in a £30m deal.

The big fee equalled big pressure as the young defender was tasked with settling in in a foreign land and at a club where the turnover was dramatic. The new manager had taken over to replace the previous coach and a host of star performers were gone or going – including Florian Wirtz, Piero Hincapié, influential figures, Amine Adli, experienced professionals, Lukas Hradecky and team leaders.

Bundesliga Debut

Quansah's Bundesliga debut came on August 23rd at home to Hoffenheim and the central defender found the net after the opening minutes, though 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.

"To have a goal on your first Bundesliga match, at home, after five minutes, is definitely a whirlwind," Quansah states. "However, my dominant emotion was that it was a homage to Diogo."

Early Challenges

The player could have been forgiven for wondering what he had committed to at Leverkusen. After the encouraging beginning in their first league game, they succumbed to a narrow loss and the next match on August 30th was equally disappointing. The squad squandered comfortable advantages to finish level at 10-man Werder Bremen, the tying goal coming in added time. It was no longer his responsibility for very long. He was sacked on September 1st.

Staying Focused

Quansah does not come across as the kind to worry. If calmness characterizes his playing style, it was evident during the conversation he participated in after joining the national team for the international friendly against Wales and the World Cup qualifier against Latvia.

Quansah has kept his head down under the current coach, the Danish tactician, and continued to do what he originally planned to do at the team – compete. The new manager 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 fact that demonstrates he has been ever-present of the team's season.

National Team Attention

It is something that Thomas Tuchel has observed. The England head coach was a fan last season, including him when he announced his initial selection. After omitting him in the summer so that Quansah could focus on the youth tournament, he provided him with a last-minute inclusion in the autumn when the experienced defender was forced to withdraw.

Yet to earn his international debut, Quansah must have impressed sufficiently in practice sessions and within the squad environment because he was selected at the beginning in Tuchel's squad selection for the upcoming matches, effectively as a additional defensive option with Stones fit again. The aspiration is a debut. It is another thing he would surely handle with ease.

Career Choices

"At Leverkusen, the club were keen on signing me for a considerable time and that's not just from the manager [Ten Hag]," Quansah says. "Their interest existed before he got appointed. So knowing it was a sort of organizational choice and things would remain consistent with which manager was to come in ... it was straightforward for me to make that decision.

"We had a lot of players leaving and it's consistently challenging when you see important figures leave. It has been difficult to build the leadership groups but the results we have had [under Hjulmand] show that we have got a good squad with talented individuals. It is going to take time to develop and we are not where we want to be. But if we are achieving positive outcomes and avoiding defeats that is a solid foundation to begin from."

Liverpool Departure

It had to have been a wrench for Quansah to leave his long-time club, his team since childhood, 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 late replacement.

Quansah was also a part of the previous campaign's domestic championship success. Yet his perspective of much of that was not the one he would have chosen. He was an unused substitute on multiple matches in the competition, his limited playing time falling short compared to his numbers from 2023‑24 when he started nine games.

Career Development

"I consistently developed off some of the best players around me at Liverpool and it's been so good for my career," he comments. "However, for a developing defender, you need games and I'm will require extensive playing time 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 an environment where they can have confidence that I might make mistakes at times but they will see beyond that and see I can keep pushing and improving."

Foundation Building

Quansah remembers his temporary transfer to League One Bristol Rovers in the second-half of 2022-23 where he debuted at professional level – multiple matches, to be precise. There were "multiple reality checks", he notes with a grin, starting with his debut; a 5-1 defeat at their opponents.

"That was a genuine revelation," Quansah reflects. "It proved 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 where I understood how crucial experience and playing games was. You could suggest it informed my decision in the off-season."