Leverkusen's Jarell Quansah Keeps Calm and Continues Onward in His Gradual Ascent to Football Fame

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

A Quick Recap

Days after claiming victory in the European Under-21 Championship with England at the conclusion of June, Quansah opted to depart from his childhood club, to join Bayer Leverkusen in a £30m deal.

The significant transfer sum equalled high expectations as the young defender was charged with settling in in a foreign land and at a team where the churn was dramatic. Erik ten Hag had taken over to succeed the previous coach and a number of key players were departing or already left – including several high-profile names, Piero Hincapié, Jeremie Frimpong, Amine Adli, experienced professionals, established players and team leaders.

League Introduction

Quansah's Bundesliga debut came on August 23rd at home to their opponents and the centre-half scored after five minutes, though the achievement was undercut by tragedy. His primary thought was Diogo Jota, who was killed in a car accident. Quansah executed Jota's gamer celebration as a mark of respect.

"To have a goal on your first Bundesliga match, at home, after five minutes, is certainly a rollercoaster," Quansah says. "But my overwhelming feeling was that it was a tribute to Diogo."

Early Challenges

The defender 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 2-1 defeat and the following game on 30 August was just as bad. Ten Hag's team squandered comfortable advantages to finish level at their reduced opponents, the tying goal coming in added time. It was not Ten Hag's team for much longer. He was sacked on 1 September.

Staying Focused

Quansah doesn't appear to be the type to fret. If calmness characterizes his playing style, it was on show during the conversation he participated in after joining England for the Wembley friendly against Wales and the World Cup qualifier against their next opponents.

Quansah has remained focused under the new Leverkusen manager, the Danish tactician, and continued to do what he originally planned to do at the team – play. Hjulmand has established consistency. His squad have positive results in their domestic campaign along with draws in each of their Champions League ties. But there is a more significant number that motivates the player, even bringing a sense of justification. It is the fact that demonstrates he has been ever-present of the team's season.

International Recognition

It is something that the England head coach has noted. The national team manager was a fan last season, including him when he named his first squad. 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 September when John Stones was forced to withdraw.

Still to win his first cap, Quansah must have done something right in practice sessions and around the camp because he was selected at the outset in Tuchel's 24‑man group for Wales and Latvia, effectively as a additional defensive option with Stones fit again. The aspiration is a first appearance. It is one more milestone he would certainly handle with ease.

Career Choices

"With my new club, the club were keen on signing 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 sort of internal decision and nothing would change with whatever coach was to come in ... it was straightforward for me to make that decision.

"We had a lot of players departing and it's always tough when you lose key players. It has been tough to establish new hierarchies but the results we have had recently demonstrate that we have developed a good squad with talented individuals. It is going to take time to develop and we are still progressing. But if we are achieving positive outcomes and avoiding defeats that is a solid foundation to start."

Leaving Childhood Club

It had to have been a difficult separation for Quansah to leave Liverpool, his team since childhood, 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 last season's Premier League title triumph. Yet his perspective of much of that was not the perspective he would have chosen. He was an non-playing reserve on multiple matches in the league, his limited playing time comparing unfavourably with his statistics from 2023‑24 when he started nine games.

Professional Growth

"I consistently developed off top-level professionals around me at Liverpool and it's been so good for my career," he says. "However, for a developing defender, you require match experience and I'm going to be needing extensive playing time to be where I want to be.

"My primary desire was game time and when you are at a top-level club, it's not promised because there are world-class players throughout the squad. I wanted somewhere where they can have confidence that I might make mistakes at certain moments but they will look under that and see I can continue developing and improving."

Foundation Building

Quansah recalls his loan to League One Bristol Rovers in the later part of that season where he made his first senior appearances – multiple matches, to be precise. There were "numerous wake-up calls", he notes with a grin, beginning with his debut; a heavy loss at Morecambe.

"That represented a true eye-opener," Quansah says. "It proved a really valuable chapter in my development because I aimed to take the subsequent progression to regular senior competition. Each match I gained fresh insights. That's where I understood how valuable practical knowledge and match practice was. You could suggest it informed my choice in the off-season."