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"From the outside, it seems crazy," Jarell Quansah says, as he reflects on his summer just gone, when dizzying change felt like a constant. "However, that's just how it goes ... football is a crazy game."

A Brief Summary

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

The big fee equalled big pressure as the 22-year-old was tasked with finding his feet in a foreign land and at a team where the churn was substantial. The new manager had taken over to replace the previous coach and a host of star performers were departing or already left – chief among them Florian Wirtz, key squad members, Jeremie Frimpong, prominent athletes, experienced professionals, Lukas Hradecky and Jonathan Tah.

Bundesliga Debut

Quansah's first league appearance came on 23 August at their home ground to Hoffenheim and the central defender found the net after five minutes, albeit the goal was overshadowed by sadness. All he could think about was Diogo Jota, who was tragically lost in a road incident. Quansah performed Jota's gamer celebration as a tribute.

"Scoring on your first Bundesliga match, at home, after the opening moments, is definitely a whirlwind," Quansah states. "But my overwhelming feeling was that it was a homage to Diogo."

Early Challenges

The player could have been excused for questioning what he had committed to at Leverkusen. From the promising start in their first league game, they fell to a narrow loss and the next match on August 30th was equally disappointing. The squad threw away comfortable advantages to draw 3-3 at 10-man Werder Bremen, the equaliser coming in added time. It was no longer his responsibility for much longer. He was sacked on 1 September.

Staying Focused

Quansah does not come across as the type to fret. If composure characterizes his playing style, it was on show during the conversation he participated in after being selected for the national team for the Wembley friendly against Wales and the qualifying match against their next opponents.

Quansah has remained focused under the current coach, Kasper Hjulmand, and continued to do what he originally planned 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 ties 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 one which shows he has played every minute of the team's season.

National Team Attention

It is one that the England head coach has noted. The national team manager was a fan last season, selecting Quansah when he named his first squad. After leaving him out in the summer so that Quansah could concentrate on the youth tournament, he provided him with a last-minute inclusion in September when John Stones was compelled to pull out.

Still to win his international debut, Quansah must have impressed sufficiently in practice sessions and within the squad environment because he was named at the outset in Tuchel'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 take in his stride.

Career Choices

"At Leverkusen, the club were interested in me for a considerable time and that's not just from the coach," Quansah explains. "Their interest existed before he got appointed. So understanding it was a sort of internal decision and things would remain consistent with whatever coach was to take over ... it was easy for me to choose this path.

"We had a numerous squad members leaving and it's always tough when you see important figures leave. It has been difficult to build the leadership groups but the outcomes we have had [under Hjulmand] 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 avoiding defeats that is a solid foundation to begin from."

Liverpool Departure

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 Carabao Cup final victory over Chelsea in 2023‑24 when he was introduced as an extra-time substitute.

Quansah was also involved in last season's domestic championship success. Yet his perspective of much of that was not the perspective he would have preferred. He was an unused substitute on multiple matches in the competition, his four starts and nine appearances comparing unfavourably with 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 incredibly beneficial for my professional development," he comments. "However, for a developing defender, you require match experience and I'm will require extensive playing time to be where I want to be.

"I just wanted regular playing opportunities and when you are at a top-level club, it's not guaranteed because there are world-class players all over the pitch. I wanted an environment where they can have confidence 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 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 "numerous wake-up calls", he notes with a smile, beginning with his debut; a 5-1 defeat at their opponents.

"That represented a genuine revelation," Quansah reflects. "It was a really valuable part of my career because I wanted to make the next step to playing first-team football. Every game I gained fresh insights. That's when I understood how crucial practical knowledge and playing games was. You could suggest it influenced my decision in the summer."