🔗 Share this article

"To an observer, it seems crazy," Jarell Quansah says, as he looks back on his recent summer, when dizzying change felt like a constant. "But it is one of them ... football is a crazy game."

A Quick Recap

Days after claiming victory in the U21 European Championship with England at the end of June, Quansah decided to leave his childhood club, to join the Bundesliga side in a multi-million pound transfer.

The big fee brought big pressure as the 22-year-old was charged with settling in in a foreign land and at a club where the turnover was substantial. The new manager had stepped in to replace the previous coach and a number of star performers were gone or going – including Florian Wirtz, key squad members, influential figures, Amine Adli, Granit Xhaka, Lukas Hradecky and Jonathan Tah.

League Introduction

Quansah's Bundesliga debut came on August 23rd at their home ground to Hoffenheim and the centre-half found the net after five minutes, though the goal was overshadowed by tragedy. His primary thought was Diogo Jota, who was killed in a car accident. Quansah performed his teammate's signature celebration as a tribute.

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

Initial Struggles

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 succumbed to a narrow loss and the following game on 30 August was just as bad. The squad squandered 2-0 and 3-1 leads to draw 3-3 at their reduced opponents, the tying goal coming in stoppage time. It was not Ten Hag's team for very long. He was sacked on September 1st.

Maintaining Composure

Quansah doesn't appear to be the kind to worry. If calmness defines his game, it was on show during the interview he participated in after being selected for England for the Wembley friendly against Wales and the qualifying match against Latvia.

Quansah has kept his head down under the new Leverkusen manager, Kasper Hjulmand, and continued to do what he always intended to do at the team – compete. The new manager has established consistency. His squad have positive results in four league matches along with ties in each of their European matches. But there is a more significant number 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 one that Thomas Tuchel has observed. The national team manager was a admirer last season, selecting Quansah when he announced his initial selection. After omitting him in June so that Quansah could focus on the Under-21 European Championship, he provided him with a last-minute inclusion in the autumn when John Stones was compelled to pull out.

Still to win his international debut, Quansah must have impressed sufficiently in practice sessions and within the squad environment because he was selected at the outset in the manager's squad selection for Wales and Latvia, effectively as a additional defensive option with the regular starter returning. The aspiration is a first appearance. It is another thing he would surely take in his stride.

Decision Making

"With my new club, the team were interested in me for a considerable time and that's not only from the manager [Ten Hag]," Quansah says. "Their interest existed before he got appointed. So understanding it was a sort of organizational choice and things would remain consistent with which manager was to come in ... it was straightforward for me to choose this path.

"There were a numerous squad members departing and it's always tough when you see important figures leave. It has been difficult 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 not where we want to be. But if we are achieving positive outcomes and avoiding defeats that is a solid foundation to begin from."

Leaving Childhood Club

It had to have been a wrench for Quansah to depart from his long-time club, his club from the age of five, where he experienced so many significant occasions – such as the league cup triumph over Chelsea in the previous season when he was introduced as an extra-time substitute.

Quansah was also involved in 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 non-playing reserve on multiple matches in the competition, his limited playing time falling short compared to his numbers from the prior season when he started nine games.

Professional Growth

"I consistently developed off top-level professionals around me at my former club and it's been so good for my career," he says. "However, for a developing defender, you need games and I'm going to be needing extensive playing time 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 promised because there are elite performers all over the pitch. I wanted somewhere where they can have confidence that I could errors at times but they will see beyond that and see I can continue developing and pushing."

Foundation Building

Quansah recalls his loan to League One Bristol Rovers in the later part of that season where he made his first senior appearances – 16 of them, to be precise. There were "multiple reality checks", he notes with a grin, beginning with his debut; a heavy loss at their opponents.

"That was a genuine revelation," Quansah reflects. "It proved a really valuable part of my career because I wanted to make the next step to regular senior competition. Each match I learned something new. That's where I knew how valuable experience and playing games was. You could suggest it influenced my choice in the summer."