Bayer Leverkusen's Quansah Remains Composed and Carries On in His Steady Rise to Football Fame

"From the outside, it appears crazy," the young defender remarks, as he reflects on his summer just gone, when dizzying change felt like a constant. "But it is one of them ... football is a unpredictable game."

A Brief Summary

Days after winning the European Under-21 Championship with England at the conclusion of June, Quansah decided to leave his childhood club, to join Bayer Leverkusen in a multi-million pound transfer.

The big fee equalled big pressure as the young defender was charged with finding his feet in a new country and at a team where the turnover was dramatic. Erik ten Hag had taken over to succeed Xabi Alonso and a number of key players 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 Bundesliga debut came on August 23rd at home to their opponents and the centre-half scored after the opening minutes, though the goal was overshadowed by tragedy. His primary thought 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, in front of home fans, after five minutes, is definitely a rollercoaster," Quansah states. "But my overwhelming feeling was that it was a homage to Diogo."

Early Challenges

The defender could have been excused for questioning what he had committed to at the German club. From the promising start in their first league game, they succumbed to a narrow loss and the following game on August 30th was equally disappointing. Ten Hag's team threw away comfortable advantages to finish level 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 calmness characterizes his playing style, it was on show during the interview he gave after being selected for the national team for the international friendly against Wales and the World Cup qualifier against Latvia.

Quansah has kept his head down under the new Leverkusen manager, Kasper Hjulmand, and continued to do what he always intended to do at the team – compete. Hjulmand has brought stability. His team 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 played every minute of the team's season.

National Team Attention

It is something that Thomas Tuchel has observed. The national team manager was a admirer previously, selecting Quansah when he announced his initial selection. After leaving him out in June so that Quansah could concentrate on the youth tournament, he gave him a late call-up in the autumn when the experienced defender was forced to withdraw.

Yet to earn his first cap, Quansah must have done something right in practice sessions and around the camp because he was selected at the beginning in the manager's 24‑man group for the upcoming matches, effectively as a fifth centre-back with Stones fit again. The dream is a first appearance. It is another thing he would surely take in his stride.

Decision Making

"At Leverkusen, the club were interested in me for a considerable time and that's not only from the coach," Quansah says. "They were interested prior to his arrival. So knowing it was a type of organizational choice and things would remain consistent with whatever coach was to take over ... it was straightforward for me to make that decision.

"There were a lot of players 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 developed a good squad with talented individuals. It is requiring patience to develop and we are not where we want to be. But if we are achieving positive outcomes and avoiding defeats that is a good place to start."

Leaving Childhood Club

It had to have been a wrench for Quansah to leave Liverpool, his club from the age of five, where he experienced so many memorable moments – such as the Carabao Cup final victory over their London rivals in the previous season when he came on as an late replacement.

Quansah was also a part of last season's domestic championship success. Yet his view of much of that was not the one he would have chosen. He was an unused substitute on multiple matches in the competition, his four starts and nine appearances comparing unfavourably with his numbers from 2023‑24 when he featured more regularly.

Career Development

"I consistently developed off top-level professionals around me at Liverpool and it's been incredibly beneficial for my career," he comments. "But as a young centre-back, you require match experience 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 promised because there are elite performers all over the pitch. I wanted somewhere where they can trust that I might make mistakes at times but they will look under that and see I can continue developing and improving."

Early Experience

Quansah recalls his loan to the lower division club in the second-half of 2022-23 where he made his first senior appearances – multiple matches, to be precise. There were "numerous wake-up calls", he notes with a smile, starting with his first game; a heavy loss at Morecambe.

"That was a genuine revelation," Quansah says. "It proved 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 when I understood how crucial experience and match practice was. You could suggest it informed my decision in the summer."