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"From the outside, it appears crazy," the young defender 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 Brief Summary

Shortly after winning the European Under-21 Championship with the English national team at the end of June, Quansah opted to depart from Liverpool, to go to the Bundesliga side in a £30m deal.

The significant transfer sum equalled big pressure as the 22-year-old was tasked with settling in in a foreign land and at a club where the turnover was substantial. Erik ten Hag had taken over to succeed the previous coach and a host of star performers were departing or already left – chief among them several high-profile names, key squad members, Jeremie Frimpong, Amine Adli, Granit Xhaka, established players and team leaders.

League Introduction

Quansah's first league appearance came on August 23rd at their home ground to their opponents and the central defender scored after the opening minutes, though the achievement was overshadowed by tragedy. 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 mark of respect.

"Scoring on your Bundesliga debut, in front of home fans, after five minutes, is definitely a whirlwind," Quansah states. "But my overwhelming feeling 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. After the encouraging beginning in their opening league fixture, they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat and the next match on August 30th was just as bad. Ten Hag's team threw away comfortable advantages to finish level at 10-man Werder Bremen, the tying goal coming in stoppage time. It was not Ten Hag's team for very long. He was sacked on September 1st.

Staying Focused

Quansah doesn't appear to be the kind to worry. If calmness characterizes his playing style, it was evident during the conversation he participated in after being selected for England for the Wembley friendly against Wales and the World Cup qualifier against their next opponents.

Quansah has kept his head down under the current coach, Kasper Hjulmand, and continued to do what he originally planned to do at the team – play. Hjulmand has established consistency. His squad have three wins and one draw in four league matches along with ties in each of their European matches. But there is a more significant number that motivates the player, even bringing a measure of vindication. It is the one which shows he has been ever-present of the team's season.

International Recognition

It is something that Thomas Tuchel has observed. The England head coach was a admirer previously, selecting Quansah when he named his first squad. After omitting him in the summer so that Quansah could concentrate on the youth tournament, he gave him a late call-up in the autumn when John Stones was forced to withdraw.

Still to win his international debut, Quansah must have impressed sufficiently 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, essentially as a additional defensive option with Stones fit again. The aspiration is a debut. It is another thing 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 manager [Ten Hag]," Quansah explains. "Their interest existed before he got appointed. 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 choose this path.

"There were a lot of players departing and it's consistently challenging when you see important figures leave. It has been difficult to establish new hierarchies but the outcomes we have had recently show that we have developed a competitive team with quality players. It is requiring patience to build and we are not where we want to be. But if we are achieving positive outcomes and not losing that is a solid foundation to begin from."

Leaving Childhood Club

It had to have been a wrench for Quansah to leave his long-time club, his club from the age of five, where he experienced so many memorable moments – such as the league cup triumph over Chelsea in the previous season when he was introduced as an extra-time substitute.

Quansah was also a part of last season's domestic championship success. Yet his perspective of much of that was not the one he would have preferred. He was an unused substitute on multiple matches in the league, his four starts and nine appearances falling short compared to his numbers from 2023‑24 when he featured more regularly.

Professional Growth

"I consistently developed off some of the best players around me at my former club and it's been so good for my professional development," he says. "But as a young centre-back, you need games and I'm will require hundreds of games to be at my desired level.

"My primary desire was 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 have confidence that I might make mistakes at certain moments but they will see beyond 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 debuted at professional level – multiple matches, to be exact. There were "numerous wake-up calls", he notes with a grin, beginning with his first game; a heavy loss at their opponents.

"That represented a true eye-opener," Quansah reflects. "It proved a really valuable part of my career because I aimed to take the subsequent progression to regular senior competition. Each match I learned something new. That's when I understood how crucial practical knowledge and match practice was. You could suggest it influenced my decision in the summer."