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"From the outside, it seems insane," the young defender says, as he looks back on his summer just gone, when dizzying change felt like a constant. "But it is one of them ... football is a unpredictable game."

A Quick Recap

Days after winning the U21 European Championship with England at the end of June, Quansah opted to depart from Liverpool, to join the Bundesliga side in a £30m deal.

The big fee brought big pressure as the young defender was charged with settling in in a foreign land and at a team where the churn was substantial. Erik ten Hag had taken over to replace the previous coach and a host of key players were gone or going – chief among them several high-profile names, key squad members, influential figures, prominent athletes, experienced professionals, established players and Jonathan Tah.

League Introduction

Quansah's Bundesliga debut came on August 23rd at home to Hoffenheim and the centre-half scored after five minutes, though the goal was undercut by tragedy. His primary thought was his former Liverpool teammate, who was killed in a car accident. Quansah executed Jota's gamer celebration as a mark of respect.

"To have a goal on your first Bundesliga match, in front of home fans, after five minutes, is definitely a rollercoaster," Quansah states. "However, my dominant emotion was that it was a tribute to Diogo."

Initial Struggles

The defender could have been excused for questioning what he had committed to at Leverkusen. After the encouraging beginning in their opening league fixture, they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat and the next match on 30 August was equally disappointing. The squad threw away comfortable advantages to draw 3-3 at their reduced opponents, the tying goal coming in added time. It was no longer his responsibility for much longer. He was sacked on 1 September.

Staying Focused

Quansah doesn't appear to be the kind to worry. If composure defines his game, it was evident during the interview he gave after being selected for England for the international 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 originally planned to do at the team – compete. Hjulmand has brought stability. His team have positive results 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 sense of justification. 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 observed. The national team manager was a admirer previously, selecting Quansah when he announced his initial selection. After omitting him in the summer so that Quansah could concentrate on the youth tournament, he gave him a late call-up in September when John Stones was compelled to pull out.

Yet to earn his international debut, Quansah must have impressed sufficiently in practice sessions and within the squad environment because he was selected at the outset in Tuchel's 24‑man group for the upcoming matches, essentially as a additional defensive option with Stones fit again. The dream is a first appearance. It is another thing he would surely handle with ease.

Career Choices

"With my new club, the club were keen on signing me for a while and that's not only from the manager [Ten Hag]," Quansah explains. "Their interest existed before he got appointed. So understanding it was a type of internal decision and things would remain consistent with which manager was to come in ... it was straightforward for me to choose this path.

"There were a lot of players departing and it's consistently challenging when you lose key players. It has been tough to build the leadership groups but the results we have had recently demonstrate that we have got a good squad 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 avoiding defeats that is a good place to start."

Leaving Childhood Club

It had to have been a wrench for Quansah to depart from Liverpool, his club from the age of five, where he enjoyed so many significant occasions – such as the Carabao Cup final victory over their London rivals in 2023‑24 when he was introduced as an late replacement.

Quansah was also a part of last season's Premier League title triumph. Yet his view of much of that was not the perspective he would have chosen. He was an non-playing reserve on 25 occasions in the competition, his limited playing time comparing unfavourably with his numbers from 2023‑24 when he started nine games.

Career Development

"I consistently developed off top-level professionals around me at Liverpool and it's been so good for my career," he comments. "But as a young centre-back, you need games and I'm going to be needing extensive playing time to be where I want to be.

"My primary desire was game time and when you are at a team like Liverpool, it's not guaranteed because there are world-class players throughout the squad. I wanted somewhere where they can trust that I might make mistakes at certain moments but they will see beyond that and recognize I can continue developing 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 precise. There were "numerous wake-up calls", he says with a smile, beginning with his debut; a 5-1 defeat at Morecambe.

"That represented a true eye-opener," Quansah says. "It was a really valuable part of my career because I aimed to take the subsequent progression to playing first-team football. Every game I learned something new. That's where I understood how crucial practical knowledge and playing games was. You could say it informed my choice in the off-season."