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"To an observer, it appears insane," the young defender remarks, as he reflects on his recent summer, when rapid transformation felt like a constant. "However, that's just how it goes ... football is a crazy game."

A Quick Recap

Days after claiming victory in 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 £30m deal.

The big fee brought big pressure as the 22-year-old was charged with finding his feet in a new country and at a team where the churn was substantial. The new manager had taken over to replace the previous coach and a number of star performers were gone or going – chief among them Florian Wirtz, Piero Hincapié, Jeremie Frimpong, Amine Adli, experienced professionals, Lukas Hradecky and team leaders.

Bundesliga Debut

Quansah's first league appearance came on 23 August at their home ground to their opponents and the central defender scored after the opening minutes, though the achievement was overshadowed by sadness. His primary thought was his former Liverpool teammate, who was killed in a car accident. Quansah performed Jota's gamer celebration as a mark of respect.

"Scoring on your first Bundesliga match, in front of home fans, after five minutes, is definitely a rollercoaster," Quansah states. "But my overwhelming feeling was that it was a tribute to Diogo."

Initial Struggles

The defender could have been forgiven for wondering what he had committed to at the German club. From the promising start in their opening league fixture, they fell to a 2-1 defeat and the following game on 30 August was just as bad. The squad threw away 2-0 and 3-1 leads to draw 3-3 at their reduced opponents, the tying goal coming in added time. It was no longer his responsibility for much longer. His dismissal came on 1 September.

Staying Focused

Quansah doesn't appear to be the type to fret. If calmness characterizes his playing style, it was on show during the interview he participated in after joining the national team for the international 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 club – compete. The new manager has established consistency. His squad have positive results 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 sense of justification. It is the one which shows he has played every minute of the club's campaign.

International Recognition

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

Yet to earn his international debut, Quansah must have impressed sufficiently in training and around the camp because he was selected at the outset in Tuchel's squad selection for Wales and Latvia, effectively as a additional defensive option with the regular starter returning. The dream is a debut. It is one more milestone he would certainly handle with ease.

Decision Making

"With my new club, the club were keen on signing me for a while and that's not just from the manager [Ten Hag]," Quansah explains. "They were interested before he got appointed. 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 choose this path.

"There were a numerous squad members leaving and it's always tough when you see important figures leave. It has been tough to establish new hierarchies but the outcomes we have had [under Hjulmand] demonstrate that we have developed a competitive team with quality players. It is requiring patience to develop and we are still progressing. But if we are getting results and avoiding defeats that is a solid foundation to start."

Leaving Childhood Club

It had to have been a wrench for Quansah to leave Liverpool, his team since childhood, where he enjoyed so many memorable moments – such as the league cup triumph over Chelsea in the previous season when he came on as an extra-time substitute.

Quansah was also involved in the previous campaign's Premier League title triumph. Yet his perspective of most of that achievement was not the perspective he would have chosen. He was an unused substitute on multiple matches in the competition, his four starts and nine appearances falling short compared to his statistics from 2023‑24 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. "But as a young centre-back, you require match experience and I'm will require hundreds of games to be at my desired level.

"My primary desire was regular playing opportunities and when you are at a team like Liverpool, it's not guaranteed because there are world-class players throughout the squad. I wanted an environment where they can trust that I could errors at times but they will look under that and see I can keep pushing and pushing."

Foundation Building

Quansah recalls his loan to the lower division club in the second-half of 2022-23 where he made his first senior appearances – multiple matches, to be exact. There were "numerous wake-up calls", he says with a smile, beginning with his first game; a 5-1 defeat at their opponents.

"That represented a genuine revelation," Quansah reflects. "It proved a extremely important part of my career because I wanted to make the next step to playing first-team football. Every game I learned something new. That's when I understood how crucial experience and match practice was. You could suggest it informed my choice in the summer."