Change is in the air at Liverpool, and nothing perhaps demonstrates that better than Jarell Quansah’s departure.
This time last year, it would have been simply unthinkable that the young defender would be leaving the club in the near future. He had just enjoyed a breakthrough season at Anfield, and he even seemed to have displaced Ibrahima Konate as Virgil van Dijk’s right-hand man. In truth, you might have found more people calling for the Frenchman to be sold before Quansah back then.
A lot has changed since, and we’re now starting to see the Arne Slot and Richard Hughes revolution take hold. With their feet firmly under the table, the duo can set about molding the Reds’ squad in their way.
Quansah is just one of many players who could make way as Liverpool looks to recoup some money after the initial splurge on Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez. It’s a ruthless business, and if the Reds are to be serial winners, then there is little room for sentiment.
Still, you can’t help but feel a tinge of regret regarding Quansah’s departure. Last season was tricky for him as the expectations, perhaps unfairly, skyrocketed following his breakthrough campaign.
This was supposed to be Liverpool’s next great defender, following in Van Dijk’s footsteps and, by the Dutchman’s own admission, surpassing him in the process.
“I was never this far, doing it consistently — like Ibou [Konate] and Jarell — when I was that young. He just has to keep going,” the Liverpool captain said shortly after Quansah began to break into the first-team.
Jarell Quansah struggled for game time under Arne Slot last season
Jarell Quansah struggled for game time under Arne Slot last season (Image: John Walton/PA Wire)
“There will be times when it’s tough, that’s absolutely normal, but it’s about how you deal with that. He’s a good boy.
“Mentally, he’s in the right frame of mind and that’s a good start. I’ll be there for him, whenever he needs. He’ll be just fine.”
Just a few months later, having helped keep Erling Haaland on a leash, there was even more praise from Van Dijk for a player who seemed to be making a play to become his successor.
“The sky is the limit,” Van Dijk said. “He just has to stay humble and keep working hard, keep improving, because there will be a lot of bumps along the road as well.”
Just over 12 months later though, Liverpool fans will have to watch on from afar to see whether Quansah can meet Van Dijk’s expectations. As cut-throat as it may seem, it was actually something of a no-brainer for the Reds.
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A guaranteed $41 million, potentially rising to $48 million, is a huge amount for a defender with only 30 Premier League appearances to his name, and in this age of Profit and Sustainability Rules, being able to bank that as pure profit is simply too good to turn down.
With the added safety net of a buyback clause meaning Liverpool will get first refusal should Quansah go on to reach those levels that were predicted, the club is safeguarding itself to ensure that it isn’t taking too big a gamble on the 22-year-old’s future.
Time is well and truly on Quansah’s side, but he needs game time now. The truth is, he wasn’t going to get at that at Anfield while Konate remains fit and under contract - an issue that still needs to be resolved, by the way.
He will get his opportunity at Leverkusen, and if he does grow up to become Van Dijk 2.0, then the Reds will be there. Hopefully, the Liverpool captain can still be proved right.