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"From the outside, it seems insane," 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 winning the European Under-21 Championship with the English national team at the conclusion of June, Quansah decided to leave Liverpool, to go to Bayer Leverkusen in a £30m deal.

The big fee equalled high expectations as the young defender was charged with settling in in a foreign land and at a team where the churn was substantial. The new manager had taken over to replace the previous coach and a host of key players were departing or already left – including 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 home to their opponents and the centre-half scored after five minutes, though the achievement was undercut by tragedy. 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 Bundesliga debut, in front of home fans, after five minutes, is certainly a rollercoaster," Quansah says. "But my overwhelming feeling was that it was a tribute to Diogo."

Initial Struggles

The defender could have been excused for questioning what he had signed up for at Leverkusen. After the encouraging beginning in their opening league fixture, they fell to a narrow loss and the next match on 30 August was just as bad. Ten Hag's team threw away comfortable advantages to draw 3-3 at their reduced opponents, the tying goal 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 gave after being selected for the national team 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 persisted in doing what he always intended to do at the club – compete. The new manager has established consistency. His team have three wins and one draw 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 sense of justification. It is the one which shows 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 admirer previously, selecting Quansah when he announced his initial selection. After omitting him in the summer so that Quansah could concentrate on the Under-21 European Championship, he gave him a late call-up in September when John Stones was forced to withdraw.

Still to win 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 24‑man group for Wales and Latvia, essentially as a fifth centre-back with the regular starter returning. The dream is a first appearance. It is another thing he would surely take in his stride.

Decision Making

"At Leverkusen, the team were interested in me for a while and that's not just from the manager [Ten Hag]," Quansah explains. "Their interest existed prior to his arrival. So understanding it was a type of internal decision and things would remain consistent with whatever coach was to come in ... it was easy for me to make that decision.

"There were a lot of players departing and it's consistently challenging when you see important figures leave. It has been difficult to establish new hierarchies but the results we have had recently show that we have developed a competitive team with quality players. It is requiring patience to build and we are not where we want to be. But if we are getting results and avoiding defeats that is a good place to begin from."

Leaving Childhood Club

It had to have been a wrench for Quansah to depart from his long-time club, his team since childhood, where he enjoyed so many significant occasions – such as the Carabao Cup final victory over Chelsea in the previous season when he came on as an late replacement.

Quansah was also involved in the previous campaign's Premier League title triumph. Yet his perspective of most of that achievement was not the one he would have chosen. He was an unused substitute on 25 occasions in the competition, his limited playing time falling short compared to his numbers from the prior season when he featured more regularly.

Professional Growth

"I've always learned off top-level professionals around me at Liverpool and it's been so good for my career," he says. "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 regular playing opportunities and when you are at a team like Liverpool, it's not guaranteed because there are world-class players all over the pitch. I wanted an environment where they can trust that I could errors at times but they will see beyond that and see I can continue developing and pushing."

Foundation Building

Quansah recalls his loan to the lower division club in the later part of that season where he debuted at professional level – multiple matches, to be exact. There were "multiple reality checks", he notes with a smile, starting with his debut; a heavy loss at their opponents.

"That represented a true eye-opener," Quansah says. "It was a extremely important chapter in my development because I aimed to take the next step to playing first-team football. Every game I learned something new. That's where I understood how crucial practical knowledge and match practice was. You could say it informed my choice in the off-season."