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"From the outside, it seems insane," Jarell Quansah remarks, 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 Brief Summary

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

The significant transfer sum brought big pressure as the 22-year-old was tasked with finding his feet in a new country and at a team where the churn was substantial. The new manager had stepped in to replace Xabi Alonso and a host of star performers were departing or already left – including Florian Wirtz, Piero Hincapié, Jeremie Frimpong, prominent athletes, experienced professionals, established players and team leaders.

Bundesliga Debut

Quansah's first league appearance came on 23 August at their home ground to Hoffenheim and the centre-half scored after the opening minutes, albeit the achievement was overshadowed by sadness. All he could think about was Diogo Jota, who was tragically lost in a road incident. Quansah executed his teammate's signature celebration as a tribute.

"Scoring on your first Bundesliga match, at home, after five minutes, is definitely a rollercoaster," Quansah states. "However, my dominant emotion was that it was a homage to Diogo."

Initial Struggles

The player could have been forgiven for wondering what he had signed up for at the German club. From the promising start in their first league game, they fell to a 2-1 defeat and the following game on August 30th was equally disappointing. The squad squandered 2-0 and 3-1 leads to finish level at their reduced opponents, the tying goal coming in added time. It was not Ten Hag's team for much longer. His dismissal came on September 1st.

Staying Focused

Quansah does not come across as the kind to worry. If calmness defines his game, it was evident during the conversation he participated in 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, the Danish tactician, and persisted in doing what he originally planned to do at the club – play. The new manager has established consistency. His squad have three wins and one draw in four league matches along with ties in each of their Champions League ties. But there is a broader statistic 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.

National Team Attention

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 omitting him in June so that Quansah could concentrate on the youth tournament, he gave him a late call-up in the autumn when John Stones was compelled to pull out.

Yet to earn his international debut, Quansah must have impressed sufficiently in training and within the squad environment because he was selected at the beginning in Tuchel's squad selection for Wales and Latvia, essentially as a additional defensive option with the regular starter returning. The aspiration is a first appearance. It is another thing he would certainly take in his stride.

Career Choices

"With my new club, the team were keen on signing me for a considerable time and that's not just from the manager [Ten Hag]," Quansah says. "They were interested before he got appointed. So knowing it was a sort of internal decision and things would remain consistent with which manager was to come in ... it was straightforward for me to make that decision.

"There were a numerous squad members departing and it's consistently challenging when you see important figures leave. It has been tough to build the leadership groups but the results we have had [under Hjulmand] show that we have developed a good squad with talented individuals. It is requiring patience to build and we are still progressing. But if we are getting results and avoiding defeats that is a solid foundation to start."

Liverpool Departure

It had to have been a difficult separation for Quansah to leave his long-time club, his club from the age of five, where he enjoyed so many memorable moments – such as the Carabao Cup final victory over their London rivals in 2023‑24 when he was introduced as an extra-time substitute.

Quansah was also a part of last season's domestic championship success. Yet his view of most of that achievement was not the one he would have chosen. He was an non-playing reserve on 25 occasions in the competition, his four starts and nine appearances falling short compared to his numbers from 2023‑24 when he featured more regularly.

Professional Growth

"I've always learned off top-level professionals around me at Liverpool and it's been incredibly beneficial for my professional development," he comments. "But as a young centre-back, you need games and I'm will require extensive playing time to be at my desired level.

"My primary desire was game time and when you are at a top-level club, it's not guaranteed because there are elite performers throughout the squad. 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 improving."

Early Experience

Quansah recalls his loan to the lower division club in the later part of that season where he debuted at professional level – multiple matches, to be precise. There were "multiple reality checks", he notes with a grin, beginning with his debut; a 5-1 defeat at Morecambe.

"That was a true eye-opener," Quansah says. "It proved a extremely important chapter in my development because I aimed to take the subsequent progression to playing first-team football. Each match I gained fresh insights. That's where I understood how crucial experience and match practice was. You could say it informed my choice in the summer."