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"From the outside, it appears crazy," the young defender remarks, as he looks back on his summer just gone, when rapid transformation felt like a constant. "But it is one of them ... football is a crazy game."

A Quick Recap

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

The big fee 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. The new manager had stepped in to succeed the previous coach and a number of star performers were departing or already left – chief among them Florian Wirtz, key squad members, influential figures, Amine Adli, Granit Xhaka, established players and Jonathan Tah.

League Introduction

Quansah's first league appearance came on 23 August at home to their opponents and the centre-half found the net after the opening minutes, albeit the achievement was undercut by sadness. All he could think about was Diogo Jota, who was killed in a car accident. Quansah performed Jota's gamer 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 homage to Diogo."

Early Challenges

The defender 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 succumbed to a 2-1 defeat and the following game on August 30th was just as bad. Ten Hag's team threw away comfortable advantages to finish level at 10-man Werder Bremen, the equaliser coming in added time. It was no longer his responsibility for very long. His dismissal came on 1 September.

Maintaining Composure

Quansah doesn't appear to be the kind to worry. If composure characterizes his playing style, it was on show during the conversation he participated in after joining the national team for the Wembley friendly against their rivals and the World Cup qualifier against Latvia.

Quansah has remained focused under the current coach, the Danish tactician, and continued to do what he always intended to do at the club – play. The new manager has brought stability. His team 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 played every minute of the club's campaign.

International Recognition

It is one that Thomas Tuchel has noted. The England head coach was a admirer last season, including him when he named his first squad. After leaving him out in the summer so that Quansah could focus on the Under-21 European Championship, he gave him a last-minute inclusion in the autumn when the experienced defender was forced to withdraw.

Yet to earn his international debut, Quansah must have done something right in practice sessions and within the squad environment because he was named at the outset in Tuchel's 24‑man group for Wales and Latvia, effectively as a fifth centre-back with the regular starter returning. The aspiration is a first appearance. It is one more milestone he would certainly take in his stride.

Career Choices

"With my new club, the club were interested in me for a considerable time and that's not just from the coach," Quansah explains. "They were interested before he got appointed. So knowing it was a type of organizational choice and nothing would change with whatever coach was to take over ... it was straightforward for me to make that decision.

"We had a lot of players leaving and it's always tough when you lose key players. It has been tough to build the leadership groups but the results we have had recently demonstrate that we have got a good squad with talented individuals. It is going to take time to develop and we are not where we want to be. But if we are getting results and not losing that is a solid foundation to start."

Liverpool Departure

It had to have been a difficult separation for Quansah to leave Liverpool, his team since childhood, where he enjoyed so many memorable moments – such as the Carabao Cup final victory over Chelsea in the previous season when he came on as an late replacement.

Quansah was also involved in the previous campaign's Premier League title triumph. Yet his perspective of much of that was not the one he would have chosen. He was an unused substitute on 25 occasions in the competition, his limited playing time comparing unfavourably with his numbers from 2023‑24 when he featured more regularly.

Career Development

"I've always learned off some of the best players around me at my former club and it's been incredibly beneficial for my professional development," he says. "However, for a developing defender, you need games and I'm will require extensive playing time to be where I want to be.

"I just wanted regular playing opportunities and when you are at a top-level club, it's not guaranteed because there are elite performers all over the pitch. I wanted somewhere where they can trust that I could errors at certain moments but they will see beyond that and recognize I can keep pushing and improving."

Foundation Building

Quansah recalls his loan to the lower division club in the later part of that season where he debuted at professional level – 16 of them, to be exact. There were "numerous wake-up calls", he says with a grin, starting with his first game; a heavy loss at their opponents.

"That was a true eye-opener," Quansah reflects. "It proved a extremely important part of my career because I wanted to make the subsequent progression to playing first-team football. Every game I gained fresh insights. That's where I understood how valuable experience and playing games was. You could suggest it informed my choice in the off-season."