🔗 Share this article

"To an observer, it appears crazy," the young defender remarks, as he looks back on his summer just gone, when dizzying change felt like a constant. "However, that's just how it goes ... football is a unpredictable game."

A Brief Summary

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

The significant transfer sum brought big pressure as the young defender was charged with finding his feet in a new country and at a club where the turnover was substantial. The new manager had taken over to replace Xabi Alonso and a number of key players were gone or going – chief among them Florian Wirtz, Piero Hincapié, influential figures, Amine Adli, Granit Xhaka, established players and team leaders.

Bundesliga Debut

Quansah's Bundesliga debut came on August 23rd at home to Hoffenheim and the central defender scored after the opening minutes, albeit the achievement was undercut by sadness. His primary thought was Diogo Jota, who was tragically lost in a road incident. Quansah performed Jota's gamer celebration as a tribute.

"To have a goal on your Bundesliga debut, at home, after five minutes, 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 forgiven for wondering what he had signed up for at Leverkusen. After the encouraging beginning in their first league game, they succumbed to a narrow loss and the next match on August 30th was just as bad. Ten Hag's team squandered comfortable advantages to finish level at 10-man Werder Bremen, the equaliser coming in added time. It was not Ten Hag's team for much longer. He was sacked on 1 September.

Maintaining Composure

Quansah doesn't appear to be the type to fret. If calmness characterizes his playing style, it was evident during the conversation he participated in after joining England for the international friendly against their rivals and the qualifying match against their next opponents.

Quansah has remained focused under the current coach, Kasper Hjulmand, and persisted in doing what he originally planned to do at the team – play. Hjulmand has brought stability. His squad 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 encourages Quansah, 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 one that the England head coach has noted. The national team manager was a admirer last season, selecting Quansah when he named his first squad. After leaving him out in the summer so that Quansah could focus on the youth tournament, he gave him 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 training and around the camp because he was selected at the outset in Tuchel's 24‑man group for the upcoming matches, effectively as a additional defensive option with Stones fit again. The aspiration is a first appearance. It is one more milestone he would surely take in his stride.

Career Choices

"At Leverkusen, the team were interested in me for a considerable time and that's not only from the coach," Quansah says. "Their interest existed before he got appointed. So knowing it was a type of organizational choice and things would remain consistent with which manager was to take over ... it was straightforward for me to make that decision.

"We had a numerous squad members departing and it's always tough when you see important figures leave. It has been difficult to establish new hierarchies but the outcomes we have had recently show that we have got a competitive team with quality players. It is going to take time to build and we are still progressing. But if we are getting results and not losing that is a good place to begin from."

Leaving Childhood Club

It had to have been a difficult separation for Quansah to depart from Liverpool, his club from the age of five, where he experienced so many significant occasions – such as the Carabao Cup final victory over Chelsea in 2023‑24 when he came on as an extra-time substitute.

Quansah was also involved in the previous campaign's Premier League title triumph. Yet his view of most of that achievement was not the perspective he would have chosen. He was an non-playing reserve on multiple matches in the league, his limited playing time falling short compared to his statistics from 2023‑24 when he started nine games.

Professional Growth

"I've always learned off some of the best players around me at Liverpool and it's been incredibly beneficial 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 at my desired level.

"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 could errors at times but they will see beyond that and recognize I can keep pushing and improving."

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 smile, starting with his first game; a heavy loss at their opponents.

"That was a true eye-opener," Quansah reflects. "It proved 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 where I knew how crucial experience and match practice was. You could suggest it influenced my choice in the off-season."