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"To an observer, it seems crazy," the young defender remarks, as he reflects on his recent summer, when rapid transformation felt like a constant. "But it is one of them ... football is a unpredictable game."

A Brief Summary

Days after winning the U21 European Championship with England at the conclusion of June, Quansah decided to leave his childhood club, to go to Bayer Leverkusen in a multi-million pound transfer.

The big fee brought big pressure as the young defender was tasked with finding his feet in a foreign land and at a team where the turnover was substantial. The new manager had stepped in to replace the previous coach and a host of key players were gone or going – chief among them several high-profile names, key squad members, influential figures, Amine Adli, experienced professionals, Lukas Hradecky and Jonathan Tah.

Bundesliga Debut

Quansah's Bundesliga debut came on August 23rd at their home ground to their opponents and the centre-half found the net after the opening minutes, though the goal was overshadowed by tragedy. 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 Bundesliga debut, at home, after five minutes, is definitely a whirlwind," Quansah says. "But my overwhelming feeling was that it was a tribute to Diogo."

Early Challenges

The defender 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 August 30th was equally disappointing. Ten Hag's team threw away 2-0 and 3-1 leads to draw 3-3 at their reduced opponents, the equaliser coming in stoppage time. It was not Ten Hag's team for much longer. His dismissal came on 1 September.

Maintaining Composure

Quansah does not come across as the kind to worry. If calmness defines his game, it was evident during the conversation he participated in after being selected for England for the international friendly against their rivals and the qualifying match against their next opponents.

Quansah has remained focused under the new Leverkusen manager, the Danish tactician, and continued to do what he originally planned to do at the club – play. Hjulmand has brought stability. His squad have three wins and one draw in their domestic campaign along with draws in each of their European matches. But there is a more significant number that motivates the player, even bringing a sense of justification. It is the one which shows he has played every minute of the team's season.

National Team Attention

It is one that Thomas Tuchel has noted. The England head coach was a admirer previously, selecting Quansah when he named his first squad. After leaving him out in June so that Quansah could focus on the youth tournament, he gave him a late call-up in September when the experienced defender was forced to withdraw.

Still to win his first cap, Quansah must have done something right in training and within the squad environment because he was selected at the outset in Tuchel's squad selection for Wales and Latvia, essentially as a fifth centre-back with the regular starter returning. The aspiration is a first appearance. It is another thing he would surely take in his stride.

Career Choices

"With my new club, the team were interested in me for a while and that's not only from the manager [Ten Hag]," Quansah explains. "Their interest existed before he got appointed. So knowing it was a type of organizational choice and things would remain consistent with whatever coach was to take over ... it was easy for me to make that decision.

"There were a numerous squad members departing and it's consistently challenging when you see important figures leave. It has been difficult to establish new hierarchies but the results we have had recently demonstrate that we have got a competitive team with quality players. It is going to take time to build and we are still progressing. 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 difficult separation for Quansah to leave his long-time club, his team since childhood, where he experienced 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 a part of the previous campaign's Premier League title triumph. Yet his perspective of much of that was not the perspective he would have chosen. He was an non-playing reserve on 25 occasions in the league, his limited playing time falling short compared to his statistics from 2023‑24 when he started nine games.

Professional Growth

"I consistently developed off top-level professionals around me at my former club and it's been so good for my professional development," he comments. "However, for a developing defender, you need games and I'm going to be needing extensive playing time to be at my desired level.

"I just wanted regular playing opportunities and when you are at a top-level club, it's not guaranteed because there are world-class players all over the pitch. I wanted somewhere where they can trust that I might make mistakes at times but they will look under that and recognize I can keep pushing and pushing."

Foundation Building

Quansah recalls his temporary transfer to League One Bristol Rovers in the later part of that season where he made his first senior appearances – 16 of them, to be exact. There were "multiple reality checks", he notes with a grin, starting with his first game; a heavy loss at their opponents.

"That was a genuine revelation," Quansah says. "It proved a extremely important chapter in my development because I aimed to take the next step to playing first-team football. Every game I learned something new. That's where I understood how crucial practical knowledge and playing games was. You could suggest it influenced my choice in the summer."