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"To an observer, it seems insane," Jarell Quansah says, as he reflects on his summer just gone, when rapid transformation felt like a constant. "But it is one of them ... football is a unpredictable game."

A Quick Recap

Days after winning the U21 European Championship with the English national team at the end of June, Quansah decided to leave his childhood club, to join the Bundesliga side in a £30m deal.

The big fee equalled high expectations as the 22-year-old was charged with settling in in a new country and at a club where the churn was dramatic. Erik ten Hag had stepped in to replace Xabi Alonso and a host of star performers were gone or going – chief among them several high-profile names, Piero Hincapié, influential figures, Amine Adli, Granit Xhaka, established players and Jonathan Tah.

Bundesliga Debut

Quansah's first league appearance came on 23 August at home to their opponents and the central defender found the net after the opening minutes, albeit the achievement was undercut by sadness. 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 Bundesliga debut, in front of home fans, after the opening moments, is definitely a whirlwind," Quansah says. "But my overwhelming feeling was that it was a tribute to Diogo."

Initial Struggles

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 next match on 30 August was equally disappointing. The squad threw away 2-0 and 3-1 leads to draw 3-3 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 does not come across as the kind to worry. If calmness characterizes his playing style, it was on show during the interview he participated in after being selected for England for the international friendly against Wales and the qualifying match against Latvia.

Quansah has remained focused under the current coach, Kasper Hjulmand, and continued to do what he always intended to do at the team – compete. The new manager has brought stability. His squad have three wins and one draw in their domestic campaign along with draws in each of their European matches. But there is a broader statistic that encourages Quansah, even bringing a sense of justification. 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 observed. The England head coach was a fan last season, including him when he named his first squad. After omitting him in the summer so that Quansah could focus on the Under-21 European Championship, he provided him with a last-minute inclusion in the autumn when the experienced defender was compelled to pull out.

Still to win his international debut, Quansah must have done something right in practice sessions and around the camp because he was named at the beginning in Tuchel's 24‑man group for Wales and Latvia, effectively as a fifth centre-back with the regular starter returning. The dream is a debut. 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 while and that's not only from the manager [Ten Hag]," Quansah says. "Their interest existed prior to his arrival. So understanding it was a type of internal decision and things would remain consistent with whatever coach was to take over ... it was easy 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 difficult to build the leadership groups 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 good place to start."

Leaving Childhood Club

It had to have been a difficult separation for Quansah to depart from his long-time club, his team since childhood, where he enjoyed so many significant occasions – 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 the previous campaign's Premier League title triumph. Yet his view 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 falling short compared to his numbers from 2023‑24 when he featured more regularly.

Professional Growth

"I consistently developed off top-level professionals around me at Liverpool and it's been incredibly beneficial for my career," he comments. "However, for a developing defender, you need games and I'm will require extensive playing time to be where I want to be.

"My primary desire was game time 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 could errors at times but they will look under that and recognize I can keep pushing and improving."

Early Experience

Quansah recalls his temporary transfer 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 "multiple reality checks", he notes with a smile, starting with his debut; a heavy loss at their opponents.

"That was a genuine revelation," Quansah reflects. "It proved a really valuable part of my career because I aimed to take the next step to playing first-team football. Every game I gained fresh insights. That's where I knew how valuable practical knowledge and playing games was. You could say it informed my decision in the off-season."