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"From the outside, it seems insane," the young defender says, as he reflects on his recent summer, when rapid transformation felt like a constant. "However, that's just how it goes ... football is a crazy game."

A Brief Summary

Shortly after winning the European Under-21 Championship with England at the end of June, Quansah decided to leave Liverpool, to join the Bundesliga side in a multi-million pound transfer.

The significant transfer sum brought high expectations as the 22-year-old was tasked with settling in in a foreign land and at a club where the turnover was dramatic. The new manager had taken over to replace Xabi Alonso and a host of key players were departing or already left – including Florian Wirtz, Piero Hincapié, Jeremie Frimpong, Amine Adli, experienced professionals, established players and team leaders.

League Introduction

Quansah's Bundesliga debut came on 23 August at home to their opponents and the central defender scored after five minutes, though the goal was overshadowed by tragedy. His primary thought was Diogo Jota, who was tragically lost in a road incident. Quansah performed his teammate's signature celebration as a mark of respect.

"Scoring on your first Bundesliga match, at home, after five minutes, is certainly a rollercoaster," Quansah says. "However, my dominant emotion 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. From the promising start in their opening league fixture, they fell to a narrow loss and the following game on 30 August was just as bad. Ten Hag's team threw away comfortable advantages to draw 3-3 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 calmness defines his game, it was on show during the conversation he gave after being selected for England for the international friendly against Wales and the qualifying match against their next opponents.

Quansah has remained focused under the current coach, Kasper Hjulmand, and persisted in doing what he originally planned to do at the club – play. The new manager has brought stability. His squad have positive results in four league matches along with draws in each of their European matches. But there is a more significant number that motivates the player, even bringing a measure of vindication. It is the one which shows he has played every minute of the team's season.

National Team Attention

It is something that Thomas Tuchel has noted. The national team manager was a admirer last season, selecting Quansah 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 the experienced defender was forced to withdraw.

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 fifth centre-back with the regular starter returning. The dream is a first appearance. It is one more milestone he would surely take in his stride.

Decision Making

"With my new club, the team were keen on signing me for a while and that's not only from the coach," Quansah says. "Their interest existed before he got appointed. So knowing it was a sort of internal decision and things would remain consistent with which manager was to take over ... it was easy for me to make that decision.

"There were a lot of players departing and it's consistently challenging 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 developed a competitive team with quality players. It is requiring patience to build and we are still progressing. But if we are achieving positive outcomes and avoiding defeats that is a solid foundation to begin from."

Liverpool Departure

It had to have been a wrench for Quansah to leave his long-time club, his club from the age of five, where he experienced so many memorable moments – such as the league cup triumph over Chelsea in 2023‑24 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 most of that achievement was not the perspective he would have chosen. He was an non-playing reserve on 25 occasions in the competition, his four starts and nine appearances comparing unfavourably with 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 career," he says. "But as a young centre-back, you need games and I'm will require hundreds of games to be where I want to be.

"I just wanted regular playing opportunities 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 have confidence that I might make mistakes at times but they will see beyond that and see I can keep pushing and pushing."

Foundation Building

Quansah remembers his temporary transfer to the lower division club in the later part of that season where he debuted at professional level – multiple matches, to be exact. There were "multiple reality checks", he says with a smile, beginning with his debut; a 5-1 defeat at their opponents.

"That represented a genuine revelation," Quansah reflects. "It proved a extremely important part of my career because I wanted to make the next step to playing first-team football. Every game I learned something new. That's when I knew how crucial experience and match practice was. You could say it informed my choice in the summer."