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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 Brief Summary

Days after claiming victory in the European Under-21 Championship with England at the end of June, Quansah decided to leave Liverpool, to join the Bundesliga side in a £30m deal.

The significant transfer sum equalled big pressure as the 22-year-old was charged with finding his feet in a new country and at a team where the turnover was dramatic. The new manager had taken over to replace the previous coach and a number of star performers were departing or already left – chief among them several high-profile names, key squad members, Jeremie Frimpong, prominent athletes, Granit Xhaka, Lukas Hradecky and team leaders.

League Introduction

Quansah's first league appearance came on 23 August at their home ground to their opponents and the central defender scored after the opening minutes, albeit the goal was overshadowed by tragedy. His primary thought was his former Liverpool teammate, who was killed in a car accident. Quansah performed Jota's gamer celebration as a mark of respect.

"Scoring on your first Bundesliga match, in front of home fans, after the opening moments, is certainly a rollercoaster," Quansah states. "But my overwhelming feeling 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 the German club. After the encouraging beginning in their opening league fixture, they succumbed to a narrow loss and the following game on August 30th was just as bad. The squad squandered comfortable advantages to finish level at 10-man Werder Bremen, the equaliser coming in stoppage time. It was not Ten Hag's team for very long. His dismissal came on September 1st.

Staying Focused

Quansah doesn't appear to be the kind to worry. If composure defines his game, it was evident during the conversation he gave after joining England for the Wembley 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 always intended to do at the club – play. Hjulmand has brought stability. His squad have positive results in four league matches 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 been ever-present of the club's campaign.

National Team Attention

It is one that the England head coach has observed. The national team manager was a admirer last season, selecting Quansah when he announced his initial selection. After leaving him out in June so that Quansah could focus on the youth tournament, he gave him a late call-up in the autumn when John Stones was forced to withdraw.

Still to win his international debut, Quansah must have done something right in training and around the camp because he was named at the outset in the manager's 24‑man group for the upcoming matches, effectively as a fifth centre-back with Stones fit again. The dream is a debut. It is one more milestone he would certainly take in his stride.

Decision Making

"At Leverkusen, the club were interested in me for a considerable time and that's not only from the coach," Quansah explains. "They were interested before he got appointed. So knowing it was a sort of organizational choice and nothing would change with which manager was to take over ... it was straightforward for me to make that decision.

"We had a numerous squad members departing and it's always tough when you lose key players. It has been difficult to build the leadership groups but the results we have had recently show that we have got a competitive team with quality players. It is going to take time to develop and we are not where we want to be. But if we are getting results and avoiding defeats that is a solid foundation to start."

Leaving Childhood Club

It had to have been a wrench for Quansah to leave Liverpool, his team since childhood, where he enjoyed so many memorable moments – such as the league cup triumph 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 much of that was not the perspective he would have preferred. He was an unused substitute on 25 occasions in the league, his limited playing time falling short compared to his statistics from the prior season 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 says. "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 game time and when you are at a team like Liverpool, it's not promised because there are world-class players all over the pitch. I wanted an environment where they can trust that I could errors at times but they will see beyond that and see I can keep pushing and pushing."

Foundation Building

Quansah remembers his loan 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 says with a grin, starting with his first game; a heavy loss at Morecambe.

"That represented a genuine revelation," Quansah reflects. "It was a really valuable chapter in my development because I wanted to make the next step to regular senior competition. Each match I gained fresh insights. That's where I understood how crucial experience and match practice was. You could suggest it influenced my choice in the off-season."