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

A Quick Recap

Days after winning the U21 European Championship with England 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 brought big pressure as the 22-year-old was charged with settling in in a foreign land and at a team where the churn was dramatic. Erik ten Hag had stepped in to replace the previous coach and a host of key players were departing or already left – chief among them several high-profile names, key squad members, influential figures, Amine Adli, Granit Xhaka, established players and Jonathan Tah.

Bundesliga Debut

Quansah's Bundesliga debut came on 23 August at their home ground to Hoffenheim and the central defender scored after five minutes, though the achievement was overshadowed 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 Bundesliga debut, in front of home fans, after five minutes, is certainly a whirlwind," Quansah says. "However, my dominant emotion was that it was a tribute to Diogo."

Initial Struggles

The player could have been forgiven for wondering what he had signed up for at Leverkusen. After the encouraging beginning in their first league game, they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat and the following game on 30 August was equally disappointing. The squad threw away 2-0 and 3-1 leads to draw 3-3 at 10-man Werder Bremen, the equaliser coming in stoppage time. It was not Ten Hag's team for much longer. His dismissal came 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 qualifying match against their next opponents.

Quansah has kept his head down under the new Leverkusen manager, the Danish tactician, and persisted in doing what he originally planned to do at the club – compete. Hjulmand has established consistency. His team have positive results in four league matches along with ties in each of their European matches. But there is a broader statistic that encourages Quansah, even bringing a sense of justification. It is the one which shows he has played every minute of the club's campaign.

National Team Attention

It is something that Thomas Tuchel has noted. The national team manager was a admirer previously, selecting Quansah when he announced his initial selection. After leaving him out in June so that Quansah could concentrate on the youth tournament, he gave him a late call-up in September when the experienced defender was compelled to pull out.

Still to win his first cap, Quansah must have impressed sufficiently in training and around the camp because he was named at the outset in Tuchel's squad selection for the upcoming matches, essentially as a fifth centre-back with the regular starter returning. The aspiration is a first appearance. It is one more milestone he would certainly handle with ease.

Decision Making

"At Leverkusen, the club were keen on signing me for a while and that's not just from the manager [Ten Hag]," Quansah says. "Their interest existed before he got appointed. So understanding it was a sort of internal decision and nothing would change with which manager was to take over ... it was easy for me to choose this path.

"There were a lot of players leaving and it's always tough when you lose key players. It has been tough to build the leadership groups but the outcomes we have had recently demonstrate that we have developed 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."

Leaving Childhood Club

It had to have been a wrench for Quansah to leave Liverpool, his team since childhood, where he enjoyed so many significant occasions – such as the Carabao Cup final victory over their London rivals in 2023‑24 when he came on as an late replacement.

Quansah was also involved in the previous campaign's domestic championship success. Yet his perspective of most of that achievement was not the perspective he would have chosen. He was an unused substitute on multiple matches in the competition, his limited playing time falling short compared to his statistics from the prior season 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 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.

"I just wanted regular playing opportunities and when you are at a team like Liverpool, it's not promised because there are elite performers throughout the squad. I wanted an environment where they can have confidence that I might make mistakes at certain moments but they will look under that and see I can continue developing and pushing."

Early Experience

Quansah recalls his temporary transfer to the lower division club in the later part of that season where he made his first senior appearances – multiple matches, to be precise. There were "multiple reality checks", he says with a grin, beginning with his debut; a 5-1 defeat at their opponents.

"That represented a true eye-opener," Quansah says. "It proved a extremely important part of my career because I wanted to make the next step to playing first-team football. Every game I learned something new. That's when I knew how crucial practical knowledge and match practice was. You could suggest it influenced my choice in the off-season."