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"From the outside, it appears insane," the young defender says, as he reflects on his summer just gone, 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 Bayer Leverkusen in a multi-million pound transfer.

The big fee equalled big pressure as the young defender was tasked with settling in in a new country and at a team where the turnover was substantial. The new manager had taken over to succeed the previous coach and a host of star performers were departing or already left – including several high-profile names, Piero Hincapié, influential figures, Amine Adli, experienced professionals, established players and Jonathan Tah.

League Introduction

Quansah's Bundesliga debut came on August 23rd at home to Hoffenheim and the centre-half found the net after five minutes, though the achievement was overshadowed by sadness. All he could think about 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 Bundesliga debut, at home, after the opening moments, is definitely a whirlwind," Quansah says. "However, my dominant emotion was that it was a homage to Diogo."

Early Challenges

The player could have been excused for questioning what he had signed up for at the German club. From the promising start in their opening league fixture, they fell to a 2-1 defeat and the next match on 30 August was equally disappointing. Ten Hag's team threw away 2-0 and 3-1 leads to draw 3-3 at their reduced opponents, the equaliser 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 characterizes his playing style, it was evident during the interview he participated in after being selected for England for the Wembley 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 club – compete. Hjulmand has brought stability. His team have positive results in four league matches along with draws in each of their Champions League ties. But there is a broader statistic that motivates the player, even bringing a measure of vindication. It is the fact that demonstrates he has played every minute of the team's season.

National Team Attention

It is one that the England head coach has observed. The national team manager was a fan previously, selecting Quansah when he named his first squad. After leaving him out in June 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 around the camp because he was selected at the beginning in the manager's squad selection for Wales and Latvia, effectively as a fifth centre-back with the regular starter returning. The aspiration is a debut. It is one more milestone he would surely handle with ease.

Decision Making

"At Leverkusen, the team were interested in me for a considerable time and that's not only from the coach," Quansah says. "They were interested before he got appointed. So knowing it was a type of internal decision and things would remain consistent with which manager was to take over ... it was easy for me to make that decision.

"We had a lot of players departing and it's always tough when you lose key players. It has been difficult to build the leadership groups but the outcomes we have had [under Hjulmand] demonstrate that we have developed a good squad with quality players. It is requiring patience to build and we are still progressing. But if we are achieving positive outcomes and not losing that is a solid foundation to start."

Liverpool Departure

It had to have been a difficult separation for Quansah to leave Liverpool, his club from the age of five, where he experienced so many significant occasions – such as the Carabao Cup final victory over their London rivals in the previous season when he came on as an extra-time substitute.

Quansah was also involved in last season's Premier League title triumph. Yet his view of much of that was not the one he would have chosen. He was an unused substitute on 25 occasions in the competition, his four starts and nine appearances comparing unfavourably with his numbers from the prior season when he featured more regularly.

Career Development

"I've always learned off some of the best players 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 will require extensive playing time to be where I want to be.

"I just wanted regular playing opportunities 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 could errors at times but they will look under that and recognize I can keep pushing and pushing."

Early Experience

Quansah remembers 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 precise. 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 reflects. "It proved a really valuable chapter in my development because I aimed to take the next step to playing first-team football. Each match I gained fresh insights. That's where I understood how valuable practical knowledge and playing games was. You could say it influenced my decision in the summer."