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"From the outside, it appears insane," Jarell Quansah says, as he looks back on his summer just gone, when dizzying change 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 conclusion of June, Quansah opted to depart from his childhood club, to go to the Bundesliga side in a £30m deal.

The big fee equalled big pressure as the young defender 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 replace Xabi Alonso and a host of key players were gone or going – chief among them several high-profile names, Piero Hincapié, influential figures, Amine Adli, experienced professionals, established players and team leaders.

League Introduction

Quansah's first league appearance came on August 23rd at their home ground to Hoffenheim and the centre-half scored after the opening minutes, albeit the goal was overshadowed by sadness. His primary thought was his former Liverpool teammate, who was tragically lost in a road incident. Quansah performed Jota's gamer celebration as a tribute.

"To have a goal on your first Bundesliga match, in front of home fans, after the opening moments, is certainly a whirlwind," Quansah says. "But my overwhelming feeling was that it was a tribute to Diogo."

Early Challenges

The player could have been forgiven for wondering what he had committed to at the German club. After the encouraging beginning in their opening league fixture, they succumbed to a narrow loss and the next match on 30 August was equally disappointing. The squad squandered comfortable advantages to draw 3-3 at 10-man Werder Bremen, the tying goal coming in added time. It was not Ten Hag's team for very long. His dismissal came on September 1st.

Staying Focused

Quansah doesn't appear to be the kind to worry. If composure defines his game, it was evident during the conversation he participated in after joining England for the international friendly against their rivals and the World Cup qualifier against their next opponents.

Quansah has remained focused under the current coach, 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 draws in each of their European matches. But there is a more significant number that encourages Quansah, even bringing a sense of justification. 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 noted. The England head coach was a fan previously, including him 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 late call-up in September when John Stones was compelled to pull out.

Still to win his first cap, Quansah must have done something right in training 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 dream is a first appearance. It is one more milestone he would certainly take in his stride.

Career Choices

"At Leverkusen, the team were keen on signing me for a while and that's not just from the coach," Quansah says. "Their interest existed before he got appointed. So knowing it was a type of organizational choice and things would remain consistent with which manager was to take over ... 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 tough to establish new hierarchies but the results we have had [under Hjulmand] show that we have got 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 not losing that is a solid foundation to begin from."

Leaving Childhood Club

It had to have been a wrench for Quansah to leave Liverpool, his team since childhood, where he enjoyed 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 involved in last season's domestic championship success. Yet his perspective 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 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 some of the best players around me at Liverpool and it's been incredibly beneficial for my career," he says. "But as a young centre-back, you need games and I'm going to be needing hundreds of games to be where I want to be.

"I just wanted game time and when you are at a team like Liverpool, it's not guaranteed because there are elite performers all over the pitch. I wanted somewhere 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 improving."

Early Experience

Quansah recalls his loan to League One Bristol Rovers in the second-half of 2022-23 where he made his first senior appearances – 16 of them, to be exact. There were "multiple reality checks", he notes with a grin, beginning with his first game; a 5-1 defeat at Morecambe.

"That was a true eye-opener," Quansah reflects. "It was a really valuable part of my career because I wanted to make the subsequent progression to regular senior competition. Each match I learned something new. That's where I understood how valuable experience and match practice was. You could suggest it influenced my decision in the summer."