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"To an observer, it seems insane," Jarell Quansah says, as he reflects on his summer just gone, when rapid transformation felt like a constant. "But it is one of them ... football is a crazy game."

A Quick Recap

Days after winning the U21 European Championship with England at the end of June, Quansah decided to leave his childhood club, to go to the Bundesliga side in a £30m deal.

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 dramatic. Erik ten Hag had taken over to succeed the previous coach and a host of key players were departing or already left – including Florian Wirtz, Piero Hincapié, Jeremie Frimpong, prominent athletes, Granit Xhaka, established players and team leaders.

Bundesliga Debut

Quansah's Bundesliga debut came on 23 August at their home ground to their opponents and the central defender scored after the opening minutes, though the goal was overshadowed by tragedy. His primary thought was Diogo Jota, who was killed in a car accident. Quansah performed Jota's gamer celebration as a mark of respect.

"Scoring on your Bundesliga debut, at home, after the opening moments, is certainly a whirlwind," 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 the German club. After the encouraging beginning in their first league game, they fell to a 2-1 defeat and the following game on 30 August was equally disappointing. The squad threw away 2-0 and 3-1 leads to finish level at their reduced opponents, the equaliser coming in added time. It was no longer his responsibility for very long. His dismissal came on 1 September.

Maintaining Composure

Quansah does not come across as the type to fret. If calmness characterizes his playing style, it was evident during the conversation he participated in after joining the national team for the Wembley friendly against Wales and the World Cup qualifier against Latvia.

Quansah has remained focused under the new Leverkusen manager, Kasper Hjulmand, 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 four league matches along with draws in each of their European matches. But there is a broader statistic that encourages Quansah, even bringing a measure of vindication. It is the fact that demonstrates he has been ever-present of the team's season.

International Recognition

It is something that Thomas Tuchel has noted. The England head coach was a admirer last season, including him when he named his first squad. After omitting him in the summer so that Quansah could focus on the youth tournament, he gave him a late call-up in September when John Stones was compelled to pull out.

Still to win his international debut, Quansah must have done something right in training and around the camp because he was named at the outset in the manager's 24‑man group for Wales and Latvia, effectively as a additional defensive option with Stones fit again. The dream is a debut. It is one more milestone he would certainly take in his stride.

Decision Making

"At Leverkusen, the club were keen on signing 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 sort of internal decision and nothing would change with which manager was to come in ... it was easy for me to choose this path.

"There were a lot of players departing and it's consistently challenging when you lose key players. It has been tough to establish new hierarchies but the outcomes we have had recently demonstrate that we have developed a good squad with quality players. It is going to take time to develop and we are not where we want to be. But if we are achieving positive outcomes and not losing that is a solid foundation to start."

Liverpool Departure

It had to have been a wrench for Quansah to depart from Liverpool, his club from the age of five, where he enjoyed so many memorable moments – such as the league cup triumph over their London rivals in the previous season when he was introduced as an late replacement.

Quansah was also a part of last season's Premier League title triumph. Yet his perspective of most of that achievement was not the one he would have chosen. He was an non-playing reserve on multiple matches in the competition, his four starts and nine appearances falling short compared to his statistics from the prior season when he started nine games.

Career Development

"I've always learned 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 require match experience and I'm going to be needing hundreds of games to be at my desired level.

"My primary desire was regular playing opportunities and when you are at a top-level club, it's not guaranteed 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 look under that and recognize I can continue developing and pushing."

Early Experience

Quansah recalls his temporary transfer to the lower division club in the second-half of 2022-23 where he debuted at professional level – multiple matches, to be exact. There were "multiple reality checks", he notes with a grin, starting with his first game; a 5-1 defeat at their opponents.

"That was a true eye-opener," Quansah reflects. "It was a really valuable chapter in my development because I aimed to take the subsequent progression to playing first-team football. Each match I learned something new. That's when I knew how crucial practical knowledge and playing games was. You could suggest it informed my choice in the summer."