3 hours ago
1
Arne Slot set the tone in his first-ever Liverpool game, hooking Jarell Quansah for Ibrahima Konate at half-time after being unhappy with what he had seen. A year later, the young center-back was out of the club.
However that may look, the writing was far from on the wall, despite the player and coach getting off on the wrong foot. Indeed, Quansah worked his way back into Slot's plans, playing an increasingly prominent role toward the end of the season as the Reds secured the title.
This made it all the more surprising when Liverpool sanctioned Quansah's summer departure to Bayer Leverkusen. Slot was actively in the market for a young center-back, eventually settling on teenager Giovanni Leoni, but was seemingly content to part ways with a homegrown 22-year-old who had already amassed a reasonable chunk of Premier League experience.
Liverpool certainly did not leave itself without protection, inserting sell-on and buy-back clauses that could still see Quansah return to Anfield. Yet particularly in light of Leoni's season-ending injury, many will wish he were still available to call on now.
Obviously, Slot couldn't have been expected to see this coming. But he did seemingly know he was running the risk of leaving Liverpool a little light, given that he also tried to sign Marc Guehi before the deadline.
The failure of that move has left Slot unable or unwilling to pull his stunt from last season in reverse. It is Konate who has struggled badly for form, but the manager does not seem inclined to use Joe Gomez in his place, and Liverpool is suffering both in and out of possession.
Quansah would be forgiven for wondering what this season might have looked like if he had stayed put. But he has explained the reasons behind his transfer.
"I just wanted to sort of keep progressing,” Quansah explained on England press duty. "As a young center-back, you need games to improve.
"I’ve always been learning off some of the best players around me at the time at Liverpool and being able to do that has been so good for my career. [But] I’m 22 turning 23, I’m going to be needing hundreds of games to be where I want to be at the end of the day.
"I think overall that’s just why the decision was made and why I thought going abroad was sort of best for me."
That decision has paid dividends early on. Quansah is indeed a regular starter for Leverkusen, surviving the early managerial change that saw Erik ten Hag dismissed after just two league games.
There have already been some ups and downs, but the general impression he has left on fans is a positive one. Earning some credit in the bank with a debut goal, he has been generally solid at the back since then.
Quansah also remains in the England picture. Called up multiple times but yet to receive his first cap, he will hope that the latest international break provides his opportunity.
No doubt the World Cup will also be in Quansah's mind. He is an outside bet to make the squad as things stand, but clearly remains in Thomas Tuchel's thinking, and regular games in the Bundesliga and the Champions League will do him no harm whatsoever.
Everyone at Anfield will certainly be rooting for him, and not only in anticipation of those transfer clauses kicking in. It would be no great shock to see him back in Liverpool colors somewhere down the line, but in the meantime, it is good to see him getting the minutes and the recognition he deserves.
English (US) ·