Jarell Quansah has opened up on his decision to leave Liverpool for Bayer Leverkusen, admitting that a lack of game time under Arne Slot prompted his summer move.
The 22-year-old defender, who came through Liverpool’s academy and made 58 senior appearances, struggled for minutes last season, starting just four Premier League games.
After being taken off at half-time in Slot’s first competitive match “for tactical reasons,” Quansah did not start another league fixture until December.
The centre-back starred for England in their Under-21 European Championship triumph in the summer.
Quansah completed a €40.7m (£35m) move to Leverkusen in July, and has already found more regular opportunities, featuring in all nine of their competitive fixtures so far this season.
“Being able to do that has been so good for my career. It has always been a big part of it,” he said.
“At this part of my career, 22 turning 23 [in January], I need hundreds of games to be where I want to be. I think overall that’s why the decision was made and why I thought going abroad was best for me.”
Quansah has been called up to the senior squad on five occasions — by Gareth Southgate, Lee Carsley, and Thomas Tuchel — but is still awaiting his debut.
“It’s not a strange feeling, I’m really delighted to be here,” he said.
“It’s always a huge honour to get called up and I’m thankful to the manager for that as well. It’s always about learning from the senior players who have more caps than I do. Hopefully it’s something I will achieve — a cap for England.”
England face Wales in a friendly at Wembley on Thursday before heading to Latvia for a World Cup qualifier next week.
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When it comes to football there're 4 national teams in Britain: England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. When it comes to Athletics they field one national team. I've never understood 😟
That’s a really good question — and it is confusing! Here’s what’s going on 👇 ⚽ In football (soccer) The four “home nations” — England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland — each have their own national team. This is because: • The Football Association (FA) was founded in England in 1863, and the other nations quickly set up their own independent associations (e.g., the Scottish FA in 1873). • They were all founding members of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which still sets the game’s laws. • So FIFA recognizes them separately — a historical privilege no other country has. 🏃 In athletics (and the Olympics) In athletics (and most sports), the United Kingdom competes as one nation, under “Great Britain and Northern Ireland” (Team GB). This is because: • The British Olympic Association (BOA) represents the entire UK internationally. • Most international sports federations only allow one national team per sovereign state, and the UK is the sovereign state — not England, Scotland, etc. So the short version: ⚽ Football is organized by historical sporting associations → 4 teams 🏃 Athletics (and Olympics) are organized by political sovereignty → 1 team Would you like me to explain why rugby is a bit of a mix (some shared, some separate teams)?
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All the best Quansah
kmuguna
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When it comes to football there're 4 national teams in Britain: England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. When it comes to Athletics they field one national team. I've never understood 😟