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"To an observer, it seems insane," the young defender remarks, as he reflects on his recent summer, when dizzying change felt like a constant. "But it is one of them ... football is a unpredictable game."

A Quick Recap

Shortly after claiming victory in the European Under-21 Championship with England at the end of June, Quansah opted to depart from Liverpool, to join the Bundesliga side in a £30m deal.

The significant transfer sum brought big pressure as the 22-year-old was charged 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 number of star performers were departing or already left – chief among them several high-profile names, key squad members, Jeremie Frimpong, prominent athletes, Granit Xhaka, established players and Jonathan Tah.

Bundesliga Debut

Quansah's Bundesliga debut came on 23 August at their home ground to Hoffenheim and the centre-half found the net after five minutes, though the goal was overshadowed by sadness. His primary thought was his former Liverpool teammate, who was tragically lost in a road incident. Quansah executed Jota's gamer celebration as a mark of respect.

"Scoring on your first Bundesliga match, in front of home fans, after five minutes, is definitely a rollercoaster," Quansah says. "But my overwhelming feeling 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 the German club. From the promising start in their opening league fixture, they fell to a narrow loss and the following game on 30 August was equally disappointing. The squad threw away 2-0 and 3-1 leads to draw 3-3 at 10-man Werder Bremen, the tying goal coming in added time. It was not Ten Hag's team for much longer. He was sacked on 1 September.

Maintaining Composure

Quansah doesn't appear to be the type to fret. If calmness characterizes his playing style, it was evident during the conversation 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 current coach, Kasper Hjulmand, and persisted in doing what he originally planned to do at the team – compete. The new manager has brought stability. His squad have positive results in their domestic campaign along with ties in each of their European matches. But there is a more significant number that motivates the player, even bringing a measure of vindication. It is the one which shows he has been ever-present of the team's season.

National Team Attention

It is something that the England head coach has noted. The national team manager was a admirer previously, including him when he announced his initial selection. After omitting him in June so that Quansah could concentrate on the youth tournament, he gave him a last-minute inclusion in September when John Stones was compelled to pull out.

Yet to earn his international debut, Quansah must have done something right in practice sessions and around the camp because he was selected at the beginning in Tuchel's 24‑man group for the upcoming matches, effectively as a fifth centre-back with the regular starter returning. The dream is a debut. It is one more milestone he would certainly take in his stride.

Decision Making

"With my new club, the team were interested in me for a while and that's not only from the coach," Quansah says. "Their interest existed before he got appointed. 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 numerous squad members leaving and it's always tough when you see important figures leave. It has been tough to establish new hierarchies but the outcomes 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 avoiding defeats that is a solid foundation to start."

Leaving Childhood Club

It had to have been a difficult separation for Quansah to leave his long-time club, his team since childhood, where he experienced so many memorable moments – such as the league cup triumph over Chelsea in 2023‑24 when he came on as an late replacement.

Quansah was also involved in the previous campaign's domestic championship success. Yet his view of most of that achievement was not the perspective he would have preferred. He was an unused substitute on 25 occasions in the competition, his limited playing time 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 professional development," he comments. "However, for a developing defender, you need games and I'm going to be needing extensive playing time to be where I want to be.

"I just wanted game time and when you are at a top-level club, it's not guaranteed because there are world-class players all over the pitch. I wanted somewhere where they can have confidence that I could errors at certain moments but they will see beyond that and recognize I can keep pushing and pushing."

Foundation Building

Quansah remembers his loan to the lower division club in the second-half of 2022-23 where he made his first senior appearances – multiple matches, to be exact. There were "numerous wake-up calls", he says with a grin, beginning with his first game; a heavy loss at their opponents.

"That represented a true eye-opener," Quansah reflects. "It was a really valuable chapter in my development because I wanted to make the subsequent progression to playing first-team football. Every game I learned something new. That's where I understood how crucial experience and match practice was. You could say it influenced my decision in the off-season."