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"To an observer, it appears crazy," Jarell Quansah remarks, 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 winning the European Under-21 Championship with England at the conclusion of June, Quansah decided to leave his childhood club, to go to Bayer Leverkusen in a multi-million pound transfer.

The significant transfer sum equalled big pressure as the 22-year-old was tasked with finding his feet in a new country and at a club where the turnover was dramatic. Erik ten Hag had stepped in to succeed the previous coach and a host of key players were gone or going – chief among them Florian Wirtz, Piero Hincapié, Jeremie Frimpong, prominent athletes, experienced professionals, Lukas Hradecky and team leaders.

League Introduction

Quansah's Bundesliga debut came on August 23rd at their home ground to Hoffenheim and the central defender found the net after five minutes, albeit the achievement was overshadowed by tragedy. All he could think about was his former Liverpool teammate, who was killed in a car accident. Quansah performed his teammate's signature celebration as a mark of respect.

"To have a goal on your Bundesliga debut, 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 player could have been forgiven for wondering what he had committed to at Leverkusen. From the promising start in their first league game, they succumbed to a narrow loss and the next match on August 30th was equally disappointing. The squad threw away comfortable advantages to finish level at 10-man Werder Bremen, the equaliser coming in stoppage time. It was not Ten Hag's team for very long. His dismissal came on September 1st.

Staying Focused

Quansah does not come across as the type to fret. If composure defines his game, it was on show during the interview he participated in after being selected for the national team for the international friendly against their rivals and the qualifying match against their next opponents.

Quansah has remained focused under the new Leverkusen manager, Kasper Hjulmand, and persisted in doing what he originally planned to do at the team – play. The new manager has established consistency. His squad have three wins and one draw in four league matches along with draws 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 one which shows he has been ever-present of the team's season.

International Recognition

It is one that the England head coach has observed. The England head coach was a fan previously, selecting Quansah when he announced his initial selection. After omitting him 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.

Yet to earn his first cap, Quansah must have impressed sufficiently in practice sessions and within the squad environment because he was selected at the beginning in the manager's squad selection for the upcoming matches, effectively as a fifth centre-back with Stones fit again. The dream is a debut. It is one more milestone he would surely 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 coach," Quansah explains. "Their interest existed prior to his arrival. So knowing it was a sort of organizational choice and nothing would change with which manager was to take over ... it was straightforward for me to make that decision.

"We had a numerous squad members leaving 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 show that we have got a good squad with talented individuals. It is requiring patience to build and we are still progressing. But if we are achieving positive outcomes and avoiding defeats that is a good place to start."

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 Carabao Cup final victory over Chelsea in the previous season when he was introduced as an extra-time substitute.

Quansah was also a part of last season's Premier League title triumph. Yet his view of much of that was not the one he would have preferred. He was an unused substitute on 25 occasions in the league, his four starts and nine appearances comparing unfavourably with his statistics 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 incredibly beneficial for my career," he says. "However, for a developing defender, you need games and I'm will require extensive playing time to be at my desired level.

"I just wanted game time 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 have confidence that I might make mistakes at certain moments but they will look under that and see I can continue developing and improving."

Early Experience

Quansah recalls his temporary transfer to League One Bristol Rovers in the second-half of 2022-23 where he debuted at professional level – 16 of them, to be exact. There were "numerous wake-up calls", he notes with a smile, starting with his first game; a heavy loss at their opponents.

"That was a true eye-opener," Quansah says. "It was a really valuable chapter in my development because I wanted to make the next step to playing first-team football. Every game I learned something new. That's where I understood how crucial experience and playing games was. You could say it influenced my decision in the summer."