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"To an observer, it seems 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 unpredictable game."

A Quick Recap

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

The big fee brought high expectations as the 22-year-old was tasked with finding his feet in a new country and at a club where the churn was substantial. The new manager had stepped in to replace Xabi Alonso and a host of star performers were departing or already left – including Florian Wirtz, Piero Hincapié, influential figures, prominent athletes, experienced professionals, Lukas Hradecky and Jonathan Tah.

Bundesliga Debut

Quansah's first league appearance came on August 23rd at their home ground to their opponents and the centre-half found the net after the opening minutes, though the achievement was overshadowed by tragedy. His primary thought was Diogo Jota, who was tragically lost in a road incident. Quansah performed Jota's gamer celebration as a mark of respect.

"To have a goal on your first Bundesliga match, in front of home fans, after the opening moments, is definitely a rollercoaster," Quansah says. "But my overwhelming feeling was that it was a homage to Diogo."

Early Challenges

The defender could have been forgiven for wondering what he had signed up for at Leverkusen. From the promising start in their first league game, they fell to a 2-1 defeat and the next match on 30 August was just as bad. Ten Hag's team squandered comfortable advantages to draw 3-3 at 10-man Werder Bremen, the equaliser coming in added time. It was no longer his responsibility for very long. He was sacked on 1 September.

Staying Focused

Quansah doesn't appear to be the type to fret. If calmness defines his game, it was on show during the interview he gave after being selected for the national team for the international friendly against their rivals and the qualifying match against Latvia.

Quansah has remained focused under the new Leverkusen manager, the Danish tactician, and persisted in doing what he always intended to do at the club – compete. The new manager has established consistency. 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 one which shows he has been ever-present of the club's campaign.

International Recognition

It is something that the England head coach has noted. The England head coach was a fan previously, including him when he named his first squad. After leaving him out in the summer so that Quansah could concentrate on the youth tournament, he gave him a late call-up in the autumn when the experienced defender was compelled to pull out.

Still to win his international debut, Quansah must have impressed sufficiently in training and within the squad environment because he was named at the beginning 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 first appearance. It is one more milestone he would surely handle with ease.

Decision Making

"At Leverkusen, the team were keen on signing me for a while and that's not only from the manager [Ten Hag]," Quansah says. "They were interested prior to his arrival. So knowing it was a type of organizational choice and nothing would change with which manager was to take over ... it was straightforward for me to choose this path.

"There were a lot of players leaving and it's always tough when you see important figures leave. It has been tough to establish new hierarchies but the results we have had recently show that we have developed a good squad with talented individuals. It is going to take time to build and we are not where we want to be. But if we are achieving positive outcomes and avoiding defeats that is a solid foundation to begin from."

Leaving Childhood Club

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

Quansah was also involved in last season's domestic championship success. Yet his perspective of most of that achievement was not the perspective 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 statistics from 2023‑24 when he started nine games.

Professional Growth

"I consistently developed off some of the best players around me at Liverpool 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 where I want to be.

"My primary desire was regular playing opportunities and when you are at a team like Liverpool, it's not promised because there are world-class players all over the pitch. I wanted an environment where they can trust that I might make mistakes at certain moments but they will see beyond that and recognize I can keep pushing and improving."

Foundation Building

Quansah recalls his temporary transfer to the lower division club in the second-half of 2022-23 where he debuted at professional level – 16 of them, to be precise. There were "multiple reality checks", he notes with a smile, beginning with his first game; a 5-1 defeat at Morecambe.

"That was a true eye-opener," Quansah reflects. "It was a extremely important chapter in my development because I wanted to make the subsequent progression to regular senior competition. Each match I learned something new. That's when I knew how crucial practical knowledge and playing games was. You could say it informed my decision in the off-season."