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"From the outside, it seems crazy," 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 crazy game."

A Quick Recap

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

The big fee equalled big pressure as the 22-year-old was tasked with settling in in a new country and at a team where the churn was substantial. Erik ten Hag had taken over to replace the previous coach and a number of star performers were gone or going – chief among them Florian Wirtz, key squad members, influential figures, prominent athletes, experienced professionals, established players and Jonathan Tah.

Bundesliga Debut

Quansah's Bundesliga debut came on 23 August at their home ground to Hoffenheim and the central defender found the net after five minutes, though the achievement was undercut by sadness. His primary thought was Diogo Jota, who was killed in a car accident. Quansah executed his teammate's signature celebration as a mark of respect.

"To have a goal on your first Bundesliga match, at home, after five minutes, is definitely a rollercoaster," Quansah says. "However, my dominant emotion was that it was a tribute to Diogo."

Early Challenges

The player 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 next match on 30 August was equally disappointing. The squad squandered 2-0 and 3-1 leads to finish level at 10-man Werder Bremen, the equaliser coming in stoppage time. It was no longer his responsibility for much longer. He was sacked on 1 September.

Maintaining Composure

Quansah doesn't appear to be the type to fret. If calmness defines his game, it was on show during the interview he participated in after being selected for the national team for the international friendly against their rivals and the qualifying match against their next opponents.

Quansah has remained focused under the current coach, the Danish tactician, and persisted in doing what he originally planned to do at the club – play. The new manager has brought stability. His squad have three wins and one draw in their domestic campaign along with ties in each of their Champions League ties. But there is a broader statistic that motivates the player, even bringing a sense of justification. It is the one which shows he has played every minute of the club's campaign.

International Recognition

It is something that Thomas Tuchel has observed. The England head coach was a admirer last season, including him when he named his first squad. After leaving him out in June so that Quansah could focus on the youth tournament, he gave him a late call-up in the autumn when the experienced defender was compelled to pull out.

Still to win his first cap, Quansah must have impressed sufficiently in practice sessions and within the squad environment because he was named at the beginning in Tuchel's 24‑man group for the upcoming matches, effectively as a fifth centre-back with the regular starter returning. The dream is a first appearance. It is one more milestone he would surely take in his stride.

Career Choices

"With my new club, the team were keen on signing me for a considerable time and that's not just from the coach," Quansah explains. "Their interest existed prior to his arrival. So understanding it was a sort of organizational choice and things would remain consistent with which manager was to take over ... it was straightforward for me to make that decision.

"There were a numerous squad members departing and it's consistently challenging when you lose key players. It has been tough to establish new hierarchies but the outcomes we have had [under Hjulmand] demonstrate that we have developed a good squad with talented individuals. It is going to take time to build and we are not where we want to be. But if we are getting results and not losing that is a solid foundation to begin from."

Liverpool Departure

It had to have been a difficult separation for Quansah to leave his long-time club, his club from the age of five, where he enjoyed so many significant occasions – such as the Carabao Cup final victory over Chelsea in the previous season when he was introduced as an late replacement.

Quansah was also a part of last season's domestic championship success. Yet his view of most of that achievement was not the perspective he would have chosen. He was an unused substitute on multiple matches in the league, his limited playing time comparing unfavourably with his statistics from 2023‑24 when he featured more regularly.

Professional Growth

"I've always learned off some of the best players around me at Liverpool and it's been so good for my career," he comments. "But as a young centre-back, you need games and I'm will require extensive playing time to be at my desired level.

"My primary desire was game time and when you are at a team like Liverpool, it's not promised because there are world-class players throughout the squad. I wanted an environment where they can have confidence that I might make mistakes at certain moments but they will look under that and see I can keep pushing and pushing."

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 – 16 of them, to be exact. There were "numerous wake-up calls", he notes with a grin, starting with his debut; a heavy loss at their opponents.

"That represented a genuine revelation," Quansah says. "It was a really valuable part of my career because I wanted to make the subsequent progression to regular senior competition. Every game I learned something new. That's where I knew how valuable experience and match practice was. You could suggest it influenced my choice in the summer."