Bayer Leverkusen's Jarell Quansah Keeps Calm and Carries On in His Steady Rise to Football Fame

"To an observer, it appears crazy," the young defender says, as he looks back on his recent summer, when dizzying change felt like a constant. "However, that's just how it goes ... football is a crazy game."

A Quick Recap

Days after claiming victory in the U21 European 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 £30m deal.

The big fee equalled big pressure as the 22-year-old was tasked with settling in in a new country and at a club where the turnover was substantial. Erik ten Hag had taken over to succeed Xabi Alonso and a number of star performers were departing or already left – including Florian Wirtz, key squad members, influential figures, Amine Adli, Granit Xhaka, Lukas Hradecky and Jonathan Tah.

Bundesliga Debut

Quansah's first league appearance came on 23 August at their home ground to Hoffenheim and the centre-half scored after five minutes, albeit the goal 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 tribute.

"Scoring on your first Bundesliga match, at home, after five minutes, is certainly a whirlwind," Quansah says. "However, my dominant emotion was that it was a homage to Diogo."

Initial Struggles

The player could have been excused for questioning what he had signed up for at Leverkusen. After the encouraging beginning in their first league game, they fell to a 2-1 defeat and the next match on August 30th was equally disappointing. The squad threw away comfortable advantages to finish level at their reduced opponents, the equaliser coming in added 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 type to fret. If calmness defines his game, it was evident during the conversation he participated in after joining England for the international friendly against their rivals and the qualifying match against Latvia.

Quansah has remained focused under the current coach, the Danish tactician, and persisted in doing what he originally planned to do at the club – compete. Hjulmand has brought stability. His squad have positive results in four league matches along with draws in each of their European matches. But there is a more significant number that motivates the player, even bringing a sense of justification. It is the one which shows he has been ever-present of the club's campaign.

National Team Attention

It is one that Thomas Tuchel has observed. The England head coach was a fan last season, including him when he announced his initial selection. After omitting him in June so that Quansah could focus on the Under-21 European Championship, he provided him with a last-minute inclusion 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 named at the outset in the manager's 24‑man group for the upcoming matches, effectively as a fifth centre-back with Stones fit again. The aspiration is a first appearance. It is another thing he would certainly handle with ease.

Decision Making

"With my new club, the club were keen on signing me for a while and that's not just from the coach," Quansah explains. "They were interested before he got appointed. So understanding it was a type of internal decision and nothing would change with whatever coach was to come in ... it was straightforward for me to choose this path.

"We had a numerous squad members leaving and it's always tough when you lose key players. It has been tough to build the leadership groups but the outcomes we have had recently show that we have developed a competitive team with quality players. It is requiring patience to develop and we are still progressing. But if we are achieving positive outcomes and avoiding defeats that is a good place to start."

Liverpool Departure

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 enjoyed so many memorable moments – such as the league cup triumph over their London rivals in the previous season when he was introduced as an late replacement.

Quansah was also involved in the previous campaign'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 four starts and nine appearances falling short compared to his numbers from the prior season when he featured more regularly.

Career Development

"I've always learned off top-level professionals around me at my former club and it's been incredibly beneficial for my professional development," he says. "However, for a developing defender, you require match experience and I'm going to be needing 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 world-class players throughout the squad. I wanted an environment where they can trust that I could errors at certain moments but they will see beyond that and recognize I can continue developing and pushing."

Early Experience

Quansah recalls his temporary transfer to League One Bristol Rovers in the second-half of 2022-23 where he debuted at professional level – 16 of them, to be precise. There were "numerous wake-up calls", he says with a smile, starting with his first game; a heavy loss at Morecambe.

"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 regular senior competition. Every game I gained fresh insights. That's when I understood how crucial experience and playing games was. You could suggest it influenced my decision in the off-season."