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"From the outside, it appears crazy," the young defender says, as he reflects on his summer just gone, when dizzying change felt like a constant. "But it is one of them ... football is a unpredictable game."

A Quick Recap

Shortly after claiming victory in the European Under-21 Championship with the English national team at the conclusion of June, Quansah opted to depart from Liverpool, to go to the Bundesliga side in a multi-million pound transfer.

The big fee equalled high expectations as the young defender was charged with finding his feet in a new country and at a team where the churn was substantial. Erik ten Hag had stepped in to replace Xabi Alonso and a host of star performers were gone or going – including Florian Wirtz, Piero Hincapié, Jeremie Frimpong, Amine Adli, Granit Xhaka, Lukas Hradecky and team leaders.

League Introduction

Quansah's Bundesliga debut came on August 23rd at home to their opponents and the centre-half scored after five minutes, albeit the goal was undercut by tragedy. All he could think about was his former Liverpool teammate, who was killed in a car accident. Quansah performed Jota's gamer celebration as a mark of respect.

"To have a goal on your Bundesliga debut, at home, after the opening moments, is definitely a whirlwind," Quansah says. "However, my dominant emotion was that it was a tribute to Diogo."

Early Challenges

The defender could have been forgiven for wondering what he had signed up for at Leverkusen. From the promising start in their opening league fixture, they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat and the following game on 30 August was equally disappointing. The squad squandered 2-0 and 3-1 leads to draw 3-3 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 1 September.

Staying Focused

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

Quansah has remained focused under the new Leverkusen manager, Kasper Hjulmand, and persisted in doing what he originally planned to do at the club – compete. The new manager has established consistency. His team have three wins and one draw 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 played every minute of the club's campaign.

National Team Attention

It is one that the England head coach has noted. The England head coach was a admirer last season, selecting Quansah when he announced his initial selection. After omitting him in June so that Quansah could focus on the Under-21 European Championship, he gave him a late call-up in the autumn when the experienced defender was compelled to pull out.

Still to win his first cap, Quansah must have done something right in practice sessions and within the squad environment because he was selected at the outset in the manager's squad selection for Wales and Latvia, effectively as a additional defensive option with the regular starter returning. The aspiration is a debut. It is one more milestone he would certainly handle with ease.

Decision Making

"At Leverkusen, the team were interested in me for a considerable time and that's not only from the coach," Quansah explains. "Their interest existed before he got appointed. So knowing it was a type of organizational choice and nothing would change with which manager was to take over ... it was easy for me to choose this path.

"We had a numerous squad members 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 developed a competitive team with talented individuals. It is going to take time to develop 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 difficult separation for Quansah to leave his long-time club, his club from the age of five, where he enjoyed so many significant occasions – such as the Carabao Cup final victory over their London rivals in 2023‑24 when he was introduced as an late replacement.

Quansah was also a part of the previous campaign's domestic championship success. Yet his view of most of that achievement was not the one he would have preferred. He was an unused substitute on 25 occasions in the league, his four starts and nine appearances falling short compared to his statistics 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. "But as a young centre-back, you need games and I'm will require extensive playing time to be at my desired level.

"I just wanted regular playing opportunities and when you are at a team like Liverpool, it's not guaranteed because there are elite performers all over the pitch. I wanted somewhere where they can trust that I might make mistakes at times but they will see beyond 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 says with a grin, beginning with his debut; a heavy loss at their opponents.

"That represented a true eye-opener," Quansah reflects. "It was a really valuable chapter in my development because I wanted to make the subsequent progression 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 suggest it influenced my choice in the summer."