Bayer Leverkusen's Jarell Quansah Keeps Calm and Carries On in His Gradual Ascent to Stardom

"From the outside, it seems insane," Jarell Quansah says, as he reflects on his recent summer, when rapid transformation felt like a constant. "However, that's just how it goes ... football is a crazy game."

A Quick Recap

Shortly after winning the U21 European Championship with the English national team at the end 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 equalled big pressure as the young defender was charged with finding his feet in a foreign land and at a club where the turnover was dramatic. The new manager had stepped in to succeed Xabi Alonso and a host of key players were departing or already left – including several high-profile names, Piero Hincapié, influential figures, Amine Adli, experienced professionals, established players and team leaders.

League Introduction

Quansah's first league appearance came on 23 August at their home ground to Hoffenheim and the central defender found the net after the opening minutes, albeit the achievement was overshadowed by sadness. His primary thought was Diogo Jota, who was killed in a car accident. Quansah executed Jota's gamer celebration as a tribute.

"Scoring on your first Bundesliga match, in front of home fans, after the opening moments, is certainly 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 signed up for at Leverkusen. After the encouraging beginning in their first league game, they succumbed to a narrow loss 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 equaliser coming in stoppage time. It was no longer his responsibility for much longer. His dismissal came on September 1st.

Maintaining Composure

Quansah does not come across as the type to fret. If composure defines his game, it was on show during the interview he gave after joining England for the international friendly against their rivals and the qualifying match against Latvia.

Quansah has kept his head down under the new Leverkusen manager, the Danish tactician, and continued to do what he originally planned to do at the team – compete. The new manager has brought stability. His team have three wins and one draw in their domestic campaign along with ties in each of their Champions League ties. But there is a more significant number that encourages Quansah, even bringing a measure of vindication. It is the one which shows he has played every minute of the club's campaign.

International Recognition

It is something that the England head coach has observed. The England head coach was a admirer last season, 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 September when John Stones was compelled to pull out.

Yet to earn his international debut, Quansah must have done something right in training and within the squad environment because he was named at the beginning in Tuchel's squad selection 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 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 coach," Quansah explains. "Their interest existed prior to his arrival. So knowing it was a sort of internal decision and nothing would change with which manager was to come in ... 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 establish new hierarchies but the results we have had [under Hjulmand] show that we have got a competitive team with quality players. It is going to take time to build and we are still progressing. But if we are achieving positive outcomes and not losing 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 team since childhood, where he experienced so many significant occasions – such as the league cup triumph over their London rivals in the previous season when he came on as an extra-time substitute.

Quansah was also a part of last season's domestic championship success. Yet his view of much of that was not the one he would have chosen. He was an non-playing reserve on 25 occasions in the competition, his limited playing time comparing unfavourably with his statistics from 2023‑24 when he started nine games.

Career Development

"I've always learned off top-level professionals around me at Liverpool and it's been so good for my professional development," he says. "However, for a developing defender, you require match experience 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 top-level club, it's not promised because there are world-class players all over the pitch. I wanted an environment where they can have confidence that I might make mistakes at certain moments but they will look under that and recognize 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 – multiple matches, to be precise. There were "multiple reality checks", he says with a smile, beginning with his first game; a 5-1 defeat at their opponents.

"That represented a genuine revelation," Quansah reflects. "It proved a extremely important chapter in my development because I wanted to make the next step to playing first-team football. Each match I gained fresh insights. That's where I knew how crucial experience and match practice was. You could say it informed my decision in the off-season."