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"From the outside, it appears crazy," the young defender remarks, as he reflects on his summer just gone, when dizzying change felt like a constant. "But it is one of them ... football is a crazy game."

A Brief Summary

Days after winning the European Under-21 Championship with England at the conclusion of June, Quansah decided to leave his childhood club, to join Bayer Leverkusen in a multi-million pound transfer.

The big fee brought high expectations as the young defender was tasked with settling in in a new country and at a club where the turnover was dramatic. Erik ten Hag had stepped in to succeed Xabi Alonso and a host of key players were gone or going – including several high-profile names, Piero Hincapié, Jeremie Frimpong, Amine Adli, Granit Xhaka, Lukas Hradecky and team leaders.

Bundesliga Debut

Quansah's first league appearance came on 23 August at home to Hoffenheim and the centre-half found the net after five minutes, though the goal was overshadowed by sadness. His primary thought was his former Liverpool teammate, who was tragically lost in a road incident. Quansah executed his teammate's signature celebration as a tribute.

"To have a goal on your Bundesliga debut, at home, after the opening moments, is certainly a rollercoaster," Quansah says. "However, my dominant emotion was that it was a homage to Diogo."

Early Challenges

The defender could have been forgiven for wondering what he had committed to at Leverkusen. After the encouraging beginning in their opening league fixture, they fell to a 2-1 defeat and the following game on 30 August was equally disappointing. Ten Hag's team squandered comfortable advantages to finish level at 10-man Werder Bremen, the equaliser coming in added time. It was no longer his responsibility for much longer. He was sacked on September 1st.

Staying Focused

Quansah doesn't appear to be the type to fret. If composure characterizes his playing style, it was evident during the interview he participated in after being selected for the national team for the international friendly against their rivals and the World Cup qualifier against their next opponents.

Quansah has remained focused under the current coach, Kasper Hjulmand, and continued to do what he always intended to do at the team – play. The new manager has established consistency. His team 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 sense of justification. It is the one which shows he has been ever-present of the club's campaign.

International Recognition

It is something that Thomas Tuchel has observed. The national team manager was a fan 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 provided him with a late call-up in the autumn when John Stones was forced to withdraw.

Still to win his international debut, Quansah must have done something right in training and around the camp because he was selected at the beginning in the manager's 24‑man group for Wales and Latvia, essentially as a additional defensive option with the regular starter returning. The dream is a first appearance. It is another thing he would certainly handle with ease.

Decision Making

"At Leverkusen, the club were interested in me for a considerable time and that's not just from the coach," Quansah says. "Their interest existed before he got appointed. So knowing it was a type of internal decision and nothing would change with whatever coach was to come in ... it was easy for me to make that decision.

"There were a numerous squad members departing and it's consistently challenging when you see important figures leave. It has been tough to build the leadership groups but the results we have had [under Hjulmand] show that we have developed a good squad with talented individuals. It is going to take time to develop and we are still progressing. But if we are achieving positive outcomes and avoiding defeats that is a solid foundation to start."

Liverpool Departure

It had to have been a difficult separation for Quansah to depart from his long-time club, his club from the age of five, where he enjoyed so many significant occasions – such as the league cup triumph over Chelsea in 2023‑24 when he came on as an late replacement.

Quansah was also a part of last season's Premier League title triumph. Yet his view of most of that achievement was not the one 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 numbers from the prior season when he started nine games.

Career Development

"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. "However, for a developing defender, you require match experience and I'm will require hundreds of games to be where I want to be.

"I just wanted regular playing opportunities and when you are at a top-level club, it's not guaranteed because there are elite performers throughout the squad. I wanted an environment where they can have confidence that I could errors at times but they will look under that and see I can keep pushing and pushing."

Foundation Building

Quansah remembers his temporary transfer to League One Bristol Rovers in the second-half of 2022-23 where he debuted at professional level – multiple matches, to be precise. There were "multiple reality checks", he says with a grin, starting with his first game; a 5-1 defeat at their opponents.

"That represented a true eye-opener," Quansah says. "It proved a extremely important part of my career because I wanted to make the next step to regular senior competition. Every game I gained fresh insights. That's where I understood how valuable practical knowledge and match practice was. You could say it influenced my choice in the summer."