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"To an observer, it seems insane," the young defender says, as he looks back on his summer just gone, when rapid transformation felt like a constant. "But it is one of them ... football is a unpredictable game."

A Quick Recap

Shortly after winning the U21 European Championship with the English national team 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 charged with finding his feet in a foreign land and at a club where the turnover was dramatic. The new manager had taken over to replace the previous coach and a number of key players were gone or going – chief among them Florian Wirtz, Piero Hincapié, influential figures, Amine Adli, experienced professionals, Lukas Hradecky and team leaders.

Bundesliga Debut

Quansah's Bundesliga debut came on August 23rd at home to Hoffenheim and the centre-half found the net after five minutes, albeit the goal was overshadowed by tragedy. All he could think about was Diogo Jota, who was killed in a car accident. Quansah executed his teammate's signature celebration as a tribute.

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

Initial Struggles

The player could have been excused for questioning what he had signed up for at Leverkusen. After the encouraging beginning in their first league game, they fell to a narrow loss and the next match on August 30th was just as bad. The squad squandered comfortable advantages to finish level at 10-man Werder Bremen, the tying goal coming in stoppage time. It was no longer his responsibility for very long. His dismissal came on September 1st.

Maintaining Composure

Quansah does not come across as the type to fret. If composure defines his game, it was on show during the interview he gave after joining the national team for the international friendly against Wales 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 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 encourages Quansah, even bringing a measure of vindication. It is the one which shows he has played every minute of the club's campaign.

International Recognition

It is one that Thomas Tuchel has observed. The national team manager was a fan previously, selecting Quansah when he announced his initial selection. After leaving him out in June so that Quansah could concentrate on the Under-21 European Championship, he gave him a late call-up in the autumn 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 the manager's squad selection for the upcoming matches, effectively as a fifth centre-back with the regular starter returning. The dream is a debut. It is one more milestone he would surely handle with ease.

Decision Making

"With my new club, the team were keen on signing me for a while and that's not just from the manager [Ten Hag]," Quansah says. "Their interest existed prior to his arrival. So understanding it was a sort of organizational choice and nothing would change with which manager was to take over ... it was easy for me to make that decision.

"We had a lot of players leaving and it's always tough when you see important figures leave. It has been difficult to establish new hierarchies but the results we have had [under Hjulmand] show that we have got a competitive team 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 solid foundation to start."

Liverpool Departure

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

Quansah was also involved in the previous campaign's domestic championship success. Yet his view of much of that was not the one he would have preferred. He was an non-playing reserve on multiple matches 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 top-level professionals around me at my former club and it's been incredibly beneficial for my professional development," he says. "But as a young centre-back, you require match experience and I'm going to be needing hundreds of games to be at my desired level.

"I just wanted regular playing opportunities and when you are at a team like Liverpool, it's not guaranteed because there are elite performers throughout the squad. I wanted somewhere where they can have confidence that I could errors at times but they will see beyond that and recognize I can continue developing and improving."

Early Experience

Quansah recalls his loan to League One Bristol Rovers in the second-half of 2022-23 where he debuted at professional level – multiple matches, to be exact. There were "numerous wake-up calls", he notes with a grin, beginning with his first game; a heavy loss at their opponents.

"That was a true eye-opener," Quansah reflects. "It was a extremely important part of my career because I aimed to take the next step to regular senior competition. Each match I gained fresh insights. That's when I knew how valuable experience and playing games was. You could suggest it informed my choice in the summer."