Jarell Quansah made a composed start to life in Germany as Bayer Leverkusen secured a comfortable 2–0 victory over Bochum in Sunday’s preseason friendly. Softfootball captured the former Liverpool youngster’s interview with Leverkusen’s media after he featured for 73 minutes. The former Liverpool star expressed his delight in starting a new life in the German club.
The 22-year-old centre-back, signed from Liverpool this summer, slotted straight into the heart of Leverkusen’s defence and impressed in his first outing under Erik ten Hag. Quansah’s debut came just weeks after lifting the UEFA U21 European Championship with England, and the young defender looked every bit ready for the step up.
Speaking after the game, Quansah told the club’s official media team about his satisfaction with how things are already taking shape.
He said:
“It’s a really positive start to my career here.” “To start with, a 2–0 win is always positive, and also to begin with a clean sheet. However, there is always room for improvement, and game by game, I’m sure we’ll get better with our fitness. So far, we’ve clicked together.”
Deployed as the right-sided centre-back in Ten Hag’s high defensive line, Quansah showed excellent anticipation, clean distribution, and strong aerial presence that has begun to earn him praise from fans and teammates alike. His presence at the back allowed Leverkusen to maintain their attacking shape, as both full-backs pushed high up the pitch throughout the contest.
The Werkself, crowned Bundesliga champions last season, are undergoing a tactical evolution under Ten Hag, who has wasted little time reshaping his squad and bedding in new signings. Quansah’s early confidence and calmness in possession suggest he will be a crucial part of Leverkusen’s backline heading into the new campaign.
The former Liverpool defender becomes the latest young English talent to seek opportunity abroad, following in the footsteps of Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho. With more preseason fixtures to come, Quansah looks set to build on this promising debut and push for a regular starting berth in Leverkusen’s title-defending side.
Softfootball earlier captured that Ten Hag and Leverkusen are exploring the option to bring another English player to the BayArena, having identified out-of-favour Chelsea star Raheem Sterling.
Leverkusen’s next game is against Fortuna Sittard on Friday, 1st August. Sunday’s win was Bayer Leverkusen’s first in the preseason after an earlier humiliating 5-1 loss to the Flamengo U20 side last week.
