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"From the outside, it seems crazy," the young defender says, as he reflects 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 Quick Recap

Shortly after claiming victory in the U21 European Championship with England at the conclusion of June, Quansah decided to leave his childhood club, to join Bayer Leverkusen in a £30m deal.

The big fee equalled high expectations as the 22-year-old was tasked with settling in in a new country and at a team where the churn was dramatic. The new manager had taken over to succeed Xabi Alonso and a host of key players were gone or going – chief among them several high-profile names, key squad members, Jeremie Frimpong, Amine Adli, experienced professionals, Lukas Hradecky and team leaders.

League Introduction

Quansah's Bundesliga debut came on 23 August at their home ground to Hoffenheim and the central defender found the net after the opening minutes, though the goal was overshadowed by tragedy. 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 five minutes, is definitely a whirlwind," Quansah says. "But my overwhelming feeling was that it was a tribute to Diogo."

Initial Struggles

The player could have been forgiven for wondering what he had signed up for at Leverkusen. From the promising start in their first league game, they fell to a narrow loss and the next match on 30 August was just as bad. The squad threw away comfortable advantages to finish level at 10-man Werder Bremen, the tying goal coming in added time. It was not Ten Hag's team for much longer. His dismissal came on 1 September.

Maintaining Composure

Quansah does not come across as the kind to worry. If composure defines his game, it was evident during the interview he gave after being selected for the national team for the international friendly against Wales and the qualifying match against Latvia.

Quansah has kept his head down under the new Leverkusen manager, Kasper Hjulmand, and persisted in doing what he originally planned to do at the team – compete. Hjulmand has established consistency. His squad have positive results in their domestic campaign along with ties 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 fact that demonstrates he has played every minute of the club's campaign.

International Recognition

It is one that Thomas Tuchel has observed. The England head coach was a admirer previously, including him when he announced his initial selection. After leaving him out in the summer so that Quansah could concentrate on the youth tournament, he provided him with a late call-up in the autumn 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 beginning in Tuchel's 24‑man group for Wales and Latvia, essentially as a fifth centre-back with Stones fit again. The aspiration is a debut. It is one more milestone he would certainly take in his stride.

Decision Making

"With my new club, the club were interested in me for a considerable time and that's not just from the manager [Ten Hag]," Quansah explains. "Their interest existed before he got appointed. So knowing it was a type of internal decision and nothing would change with which manager was to take over ... it was easy for me to choose this path.

"There were a numerous squad members departing and it's consistently challenging when you see important figures leave. It has been tough to establish new hierarchies but the outcomes we have had recently show that we have got a competitive team with talented individuals. 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 solid foundation to begin from."

Liverpool Departure

It had to have been a difficult separation for Quansah to depart from his long-time club, his team since childhood, where he experienced so many significant occasions – such as the league cup triumph over their London rivals in 2023‑24 when he was introduced as an extra-time substitute.

Quansah was also a part of the previous campaign's domestic championship success. Yet his view of much of that was not the one he would have chosen. He was an unused substitute on 25 occasions in the competition, his limited playing time comparing unfavourably with his statistics from the prior season when he started nine games.

Career Development

"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 require match experience and I'm will require 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 all over the pitch. I wanted somewhere where they can have confidence that I might make mistakes at times but they will look under that and see I can continue developing and improving."

Foundation Building

Quansah remembers his loan to League One Bristol Rovers in the second-half of 2022-23 where he debuted at professional level – multiple matches, to be exact. There were "numerous wake-up calls", he notes with a grin, beginning with his first game; a 5-1 defeat at their opponents.

"That was a genuine revelation," Quansah reflects. "It proved a really valuable part of my career because I aimed to take the next step to playing first-team football. Each match I gained fresh insights. That's when I knew how valuable practical knowledge and playing games was. You could say it influenced my decision in the off-season."