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"To an observer, it seems crazy," the young defender remarks, as he looks back 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 the English national team at the conclusion of June, Quansah opted to depart from his childhood club, to go to the Bundesliga side in a multi-million pound transfer.

The significant transfer sum brought high expectations as the young defender was charged with settling in in a foreign land and at a team where the turnover was substantial. Erik ten Hag had taken over to succeed Xabi Alonso and a host of star performers were departing or already left – chief among them Florian Wirtz, Piero Hincapié, influential figures, prominent athletes, experienced professionals, established players and team leaders.

Bundesliga Debut

Quansah's first league appearance came on August 23rd at their home ground to Hoffenheim and the centre-half found the net after five minutes, albeit the achievement was undercut by tragedy. His primary thought was his former Liverpool teammate, who was killed in a car accident. Quansah performed his teammate's signature celebration as a mark of respect.

"Scoring on your first Bundesliga match, at home, after the opening moments, is definitely a whirlwind," Quansah states. "However, my dominant emotion was that it was a homage to Diogo."

Early Challenges

The player 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 narrow loss and the following game on 30 August was just as bad. The squad threw away comfortable advantages to draw 3-3 at their reduced opponents, the tying goal coming in added time. It was no longer his responsibility for very long. His dismissal came on September 1st.

Maintaining Composure

Quansah does not come across as the kind to worry. If calmness defines his game, it was evident during the interview he gave after joining England for the Wembley friendly against Wales and the qualifying match against their next opponents.

Quansah has remained focused under the current coach, the Danish tactician, and continued to do what he originally planned to do at the team – compete. The new manager has established consistency. His squad have positive results 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 been ever-present of the team's season.

International Recognition

It is something that Thomas Tuchel has noted. The England head coach was a fan previously, selecting Quansah when he announced his initial selection. After leaving him out in June so that Quansah could concentrate on the Under-21 European Championship, he gave him a late call-up in the autumn when John Stones was forced to withdraw.

Yet to earn his first cap, Quansah must have impressed sufficiently in practice sessions and around the camp because he was named at the beginning in Tuchel's 24‑man group for Wales and Latvia, essentially as a fifth centre-back with Stones fit again. 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 club were keen on signing me for a considerable time and that's not just from the coach," Quansah explains. "Their interest existed before he got appointed. So knowing it was a sort of organizational choice and nothing would change with which manager was to come in ... it was straightforward for me to choose this path.

"We had a numerous squad members leaving and it's consistently challenging when you lose key players. It has been tough to build the leadership groups but the outcomes we have had [under Hjulmand] demonstrate that we have got a competitive team with quality players. It is going to take time to develop and we are still progressing. But if we are getting results and not losing that is a solid foundation to begin from."

Leaving Childhood Club

It had to have been a wrench for Quansah to depart from his long-time club, his club from the age of five, where he experienced so many memorable moments – such as the Carabao Cup final victory over Chelsea in the previous season when he came on as an extra-time substitute.

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

Career Development

"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. "However, for a developing defender, you need games and I'm going to be needing 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 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 recognize I can continue developing and pushing."

Foundation Building

Quansah remembers his temporary transfer to League One Bristol Rovers in the second-half of 2022-23 where he made his first senior appearances – multiple matches, to be exact. There were "multiple reality checks", he says with a grin, starting with his first game; a 5-1 defeat at Morecambe.

"That was a true eye-opener," Quansah says. "It was a really valuable part of my career because I wanted to make the next step to playing first-team football. Each match I gained fresh insights. That's when I understood how valuable experience and match practice was. You could suggest it influenced my decision in the summer."