Jarell Quansah says he left Liverpool because he wanted almost guaranteed playing time, and Bayer Leverkusen have given him exactly that. He made 44 appearances in all competitions and 11 Champions League starts in his first season in Germany, after leaving Anfield in an initial £30m transfer plus up to £5m in add-ons.
Liverpool also negotiated a €60m buyback clause and pre-finalised a contract for a possible return. That keeps the door open, but it does not change the point Quansah is making about why he moved in the first place.
The playing-time case
Quansah put it plainly: “I knew I needed almost guaranteed playing time and I am not naive enough to think that would come automatically at a club like Liverpool.” He added that he left for a top club in the Champions League, played week in and week out, and got “44 games or so”, which he called “so, so valuable for my career.”
That is a strong defence of the move, and it is hard to argue with the outcome. He left Liverpool after 58 senior appearances, so this was not a rushed jump from nothing. It was a calculated move to get out of a logjam and into a side where he could play.
The season numbers back that up without needing any embellishment. Quansah appeared in 28 of Leverkusen’s 34 Bundesliga matches and scored four league goals, a very decent return for a centre-back who was mainly being asked to settle into a new team and a new league.
Tuchel and Hjulmand are both impressed
The other useful part of this story is that the praise is not coming only from Quansah himself. Thomas Tuchel said: “I have a lot of trust in Jarell. I see his talent, but I see the package. He is tall, he is fast, he is strong in build-up. He is strong in the air. He's slighty ahead [of Trent Alexander-Arnold].”
Kasper Hjulmand was just as direct. “He's an intelligent defender and a real presence. He's really developed a lot and is an important player for us,” he said.
That is a pretty clear signal about where Quansah stands now. He has not just collected minutes at Bayer Leverkusen, he has played enough to earn trust from a club coach and attention from the England setup. He already has three caps for England, and his debut came on 16 November 2025 at right-back.
The bigger picture is simple enough. Quansah wanted a platform, and he got one. The buyback clause means Liverpool have preserved their options, but the first season in Germany has done exactly what he wanted when he left: it has given him proper football, regular responsibility and a case for more international chances.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →