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"To an observer, it seems crazy," Jarell Quansah remarks, 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 unpredictable game."

A Quick Recap

Days after winning the European Under-21 Championship with England at the conclusion of June, Quansah opted to depart from his childhood club, to go to Bayer Leverkusen in a multi-million pound transfer.

The significant transfer sum brought big pressure as the 22-year-old was charged with settling in in a new country and at a club where the turnover was dramatic. Erik ten Hag had taken over to replace Xabi Alonso and a host of key players were departing or already left – including several high-profile names, Piero Hincapié, Jeremie Frimpong, Amine Adli, Granit Xhaka, established players and Jonathan Tah.

League Introduction

Quansah's first league appearance came on 23 August at home to their opponents and the centre-half scored after five minutes, albeit the achievement was undercut by tragedy. All he could think about was Diogo Jota, who was killed in a car accident. Quansah executed his teammate's signature celebration as a mark of respect.

"To have a goal 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."

Initial Struggles

The player could have been forgiven for wondering what he had committed to at the German club. From the promising start in their opening league fixture, they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat and the following game on August 30th was equally disappointing. Ten Hag's team squandered comfortable advantages to draw 3-3 at their reduced opponents, the tying goal coming in added time. It was no longer his responsibility for very long. His dismissal came on September 1st.

Staying Focused

Quansah doesn't appear to be the kind to worry. If calmness characterizes his playing style, it was evident during the conversation he gave after being selected for the national team for the Wembley friendly against Wales and the qualifying match against Latvia.

Quansah has kept his head down under the new Leverkusen manager, the Danish tactician, and continued to do what he originally planned to do at the club – play. The new manager has established consistency. His team have three wins and one draw in their domestic campaign along with draws in each of their Champions League ties. 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 played every minute of the team's season.

International Recognition

It is one that Thomas Tuchel has noted. The England head coach 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 provided him with a late call-up in the autumn when the experienced defender was forced to withdraw.

Yet to earn his first cap, Quansah must have done something right in practice sessions and within the squad environment because he was named at the beginning in the manager's 24‑man group for the upcoming matches, effectively as a additional defensive option with Stones fit again. The dream is a debut. It is another thing he would surely take in his stride.

Decision Making

"At Leverkusen, the club were interested in me for a considerable time and that's not just from the coach," Quansah says. "Their interest existed prior to his arrival. So understanding it was a type of internal decision and things would remain consistent with whatever coach was to come in ... it was easy for me to make that decision.

"We had a lot of players leaving and it's consistently challenging when you lose key players. It has been tough to establish new hierarchies but the results 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 not where we want to be. But if we are getting results and not losing that is a good place to start."

Leaving Childhood Club

It had to have been a difficult separation for Quansah to leave Liverpool, his club from the age of five, where he experienced so many memorable moments – such as the Carabao Cup final victory over Chelsea in 2023‑24 when he was introduced as an extra-time substitute.

Quansah was also a part of last season's Premier League title triumph. 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 comparing unfavourably with his statistics from the prior season when he featured more regularly.

Professional Growth

"I consistently developed off top-level professionals around me at Liverpool and it's been so good for my professional development," he comments. "However, for a developing defender, you require match experience and I'm will require hundreds of games to be where I want to be.

"I just wanted game time and when you are at a top-level club, it's not promised because there are elite performers all over the pitch. I wanted somewhere where they can trust that I might make mistakes at certain moments but they will look under that and recognize I can keep pushing and pushing."

Foundation Building

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

"That was a genuine revelation," Quansah reflects. "It proved a really valuable chapter in my development because I aimed to take the next step to playing first-team football. Each match I learned something new. That's when I knew how crucial practical knowledge and match practice was. You could say it informed my decision in the off-season."