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"To an observer, it seems crazy," the young defender says, as he reflects on his summer just gone, when rapid transformation felt like a constant. "However, that's just how it goes ... football is a unpredictable game."

A Brief Summary

Shortly after claiming victory in the European Under-21 Championship with the English national team at the end of June, Quansah decided to leave Liverpool, to join the Bundesliga side in a multi-million pound transfer.

The significant transfer sum equalled high expectations as the young defender was charged with settling in in a foreign land and at a team where the turnover was substantial. Erik ten Hag had taken over to succeed Xabi Alonso and a number of star performers were departing or already left – including several high-profile names, Piero Hincapié, Jeremie Frimpong, prominent athletes, Granit Xhaka, Lukas Hradecky and team leaders.

League Introduction

Quansah's Bundesliga debut came on August 23rd at their home ground to Hoffenheim and the centre-half scored after the opening minutes, albeit 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 mark of respect.

"Scoring on your first Bundesliga match, at home, after the opening moments, is definitely a whirlwind," Quansah says. "However, my dominant emotion was that it was a homage to Diogo."

Initial Struggles

The defender could have been forgiven for wondering what he had committed to at the German club. After the encouraging beginning in their first league game, they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat and the next match on 30 August was just as bad. Ten Hag's team 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 not Ten Hag's team for much longer. He was sacked on 1 September.

Maintaining Composure

Quansah does not come across as the kind to worry. If calmness defines his game, it was on show during the interview he gave after joining England for the Wembley friendly against Wales and the World Cup qualifier against Latvia.

Quansah has kept his head down under the new Leverkusen manager, the Danish tactician, and continued to do what he always intended to do at the team – compete. The new manager has brought stability. His team 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 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 the England head coach has noted. The England head coach was a admirer previously, including him 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 last-minute inclusion in September when John Stones was compelled to pull out.

Yet to earn his first cap, Quansah must have done something right in practice sessions and around the camp because he was selected at the beginning in the manager's 24‑man group for the upcoming matches, essentially as a fifth centre-back with the regular starter returning. The aspiration is a first appearance. It is another thing he would certainly take in his stride.

Career Choices

"At Leverkusen, the team were interested in me for a while and that's not just from the manager [Ten Hag]," 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 come in ... it was easy for me to choose this path.

"There were a lot of players leaving and it's consistently challenging when you see important figures leave. It has been tough to establish new hierarchies but the outcomes 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 still progressing. But if we are achieving positive outcomes and not losing that is a solid foundation to start."

Leaving Childhood Club

It had to have been a difficult separation for Quansah to depart from his long-time club, his team since childhood, where he experienced so many significant occasions – such as the Carabao Cup final victory over their London rivals in the previous season when he came on as an late replacement.

Quansah was also involved in the previous campaign's Premier League title triumph. Yet his view of most of that achievement was not the one he would have chosen. He was an unused substitute on 25 occasions in the competition, his four starts and nine appearances falling short compared to his numbers from 2023‑24 when he featured more regularly.

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 professional development," he comments. "But as a young centre-back, you require match experience 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 elite performers throughout the squad. I wanted somewhere where they can have confidence that I might make mistakes at times but they will see beyond that and see I can continue developing and improving."

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 – multiple matches, to be precise. There were "multiple reality checks", he notes with a smile, beginning with his first game; a heavy loss at Morecambe.

"That represented a genuine revelation," Quansah says. "It proved a extremely important part of my career because I wanted to make the subsequent progression to playing first-team football. Every game I learned something new. That's where I understood how valuable practical knowledge and playing games was. You could suggest it informed my decision in the off-season."