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"From the outside, it appears crazy," the young defender says, as he reflects on his recent summer, when rapid transformation felt like a constant. "But it is one of them ... football is a crazy game."

A Brief Summary

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

The significant transfer sum brought big pressure as the 22-year-old was tasked with finding his feet in a foreign land and at a club where the churn was substantial. The new manager had taken over to succeed the previous coach and a host of star performers were departing or already left – chief among them several high-profile names, key squad members, Jeremie Frimpong, Amine Adli, experienced professionals, Lukas Hradecky and team leaders.

Bundesliga Debut

Quansah's first league appearance came on August 23rd at their home ground to Hoffenheim and the central defender found the net after the opening minutes, though the goal was overshadowed by sadness. His primary thought was his former Liverpool teammate, who was tragically lost in a road incident. Quansah performed Jota's gamer celebration as a tribute.

"To have a goal on your first Bundesliga match, in front of home fans, after the opening moments, is certainly a rollercoaster," Quansah states. "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 committed to at Leverkusen. After the encouraging beginning in their opening league fixture, they fell to a 2-1 defeat and the following game on 30 August was equally disappointing. The squad squandered comfortable advantages to finish level at their reduced opponents, the equaliser coming in added time. It was not Ten Hag's team for very long. He was sacked on 1 September.

Staying Focused

Quansah does not come across as the kind to worry. If calmness defines his game, it was evident during the interview he participated in after joining the national team for the international friendly against their rivals and the World Cup qualifier against their next opponents.

Quansah has kept his head down under the current coach, the Danish tactician, and continued to do what he originally planned to do at the club – compete. Hjulmand has brought stability. His squad have three wins and one draw in their domestic campaign along with draws in each of their European matches. But there is a broader statistic that motivates the player, even bringing a sense of justification. It is the fact that demonstrates he has played every minute of the team's season.

National Team Attention

It is something that Thomas Tuchel 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 concentrate on the youth tournament, he provided him with a last-minute inclusion in the autumn when John Stones was forced to withdraw.

Yet to earn his international debut, 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 Wales and Latvia, essentially as a fifth centre-back with the regular starter returning. The dream is a first appearance. It is one more milestone he would surely handle with ease.

Career Choices

"At Leverkusen, the team were interested in me for a considerable time and that's not only 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 whatever coach was to take over ... it was straightforward for me to choose this path.

"There were a numerous squad members departing and it's always tough when you lose key players. It has been difficult to establish new hierarchies but the results we have had recently show that we have got a good squad with quality players. It is requiring patience to develop and we are still progressing. But if we are getting results and not losing that is a solid foundation to start."

Leaving Childhood Club

It had to have been a wrench 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 their London rivals in 2023‑24 when he came on as an late replacement.

Quansah was also involved in last season's Premier League title triumph. Yet his view of most of that achievement was not the one he would have chosen. He was an non-playing reserve on 25 occasions in the league, his four starts and nine appearances falling short compared to his statistics from 2023‑24 when he featured more regularly.

Professional Growth

"I've always learned off some of the best players around me at my former club and it's been incredibly beneficial for my career," he comments. "But as a young centre-back, you require match experience 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 top-level club, it's not promised because there are elite performers throughout the squad. 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 continue developing and pushing."

Early Experience

Quansah recalls his loan to the lower division club in the second-half of 2022-23 where he debuted at professional level – 16 of them, to be exact. There were "numerous wake-up calls", he notes 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 chapter in my development because I aimed to take the next step to regular senior competition. Every game I learned something new. That's where I understood how crucial practical knowledge and match practice was. You could suggest it informed my choice in the summer."