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"To an observer, it appears crazy," Jarell Quansah says, as he looks back on his summer just gone, when rapid transformation felt like a constant. "However, that's just how it goes ... football is a crazy game."

A Brief Summary

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

The big fee equalled big pressure as the young defender was charged with settling in in a new country and at a team where the turnover was substantial. Erik ten Hag had stepped in to succeed the previous coach and a host of star performers were departing or already left – including several high-profile names, key squad members, Jeremie Frimpong, prominent athletes, Granit Xhaka, established players and Jonathan Tah.

Bundesliga Debut

Quansah's Bundesliga debut came on 23 August at home to their opponents and the centre-half scored after the opening minutes, albeit the goal was undercut by sadness. All he could think about was Diogo Jota, who was killed in a car accident. Quansah performed his teammate's signature celebration as a mark of respect.

"Scoring on your Bundesliga debut, at home, after the opening moments, is definitely a rollercoaster," Quansah says. "But my overwhelming feeling was that it was a homage to Diogo."

Initial Struggles

The player could have been excused for questioning 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 following game on August 30th was just as bad. Ten Hag's team threw away comfortable advantages to draw 3-3 at 10-man Werder Bremen, the tying goal coming in added time. It was no longer his responsibility for very long. He was sacked on September 1st.

Staying Focused

Quansah does not come across as the kind to worry. If calmness defines his game, it was on show during the conversation he gave after joining England for the Wembley friendly against Wales and the World Cup qualifier against their next opponents.

Quansah has remained focused under the new Leverkusen manager, the Danish tactician, and continued to do what he always intended to do at the team – play. Hjulmand has established consistency. His squad have positive results 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 fact that demonstrates he has been ever-present of the team's season.

National Team Attention

It is one that the England head coach has noted. The national team manager was a fan previously, including him when he named his first squad. After omitting him in June so that Quansah could concentrate on the youth tournament, he gave him a late call-up in September when John Stones was forced to withdraw.

Still to win his international debut, Quansah must have done something right in practice sessions and within the squad environment because he was selected at the beginning in Tuchel's squad selection for the upcoming matches, effectively as a fifth centre-back with the regular starter returning. The aspiration is a debut. It is one more milestone he would certainly take in his stride.

Career Choices

"At Leverkusen, the club were keen on signing me for a while and that's not only from the coach," Quansah says. "Their interest existed prior to his arrival. So understanding it was a sort of internal decision and things would remain consistent with whatever coach was to take over ... it was straightforward for me to make that decision.

"There were a lot of players 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 [under Hjulmand] demonstrate 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 achieving positive outcomes and avoiding defeats that is a good place to start."

Liverpool Departure

It had to have been a wrench for Quansah to leave his long-time club, his team since childhood, where he enjoyed so many significant occasions – such as the league cup triumph over their London rivals in the previous season when he came on as an extra-time substitute.

Quansah was also a part of last season's domestic championship success. Yet his view of most of that achievement was not the one he would have preferred. He was an unused substitute on 25 occasions in the competition, his limited playing time falling short compared to his statistics 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 incredibly beneficial for my professional development," he says. "But as a young centre-back, you need games and I'm will require hundreds of games to be at my desired level.

"My primary desire was game time and when you are at a top-level club, it's not promised because there are elite performers all over the pitch. I wanted an environment where they can have confidence that I could errors at times but they will look under that and recognize I can continue developing and improving."

Foundation Building

Quansah remembers his loan to the lower division club in the later part of that season where he made his first senior appearances – multiple matches, to be exact. There were "numerous wake-up calls", he notes with a smile, starting with his debut; a 5-1 defeat at Morecambe.

"That was a true eye-opener," Quansah says. "It proved a really valuable part of my career because I wanted to make the next step to playing first-team football. Each match I gained fresh insights. That's when I understood how valuable experience and match practice was. You could say it informed my choice in the off-season."