In a season full of uplifting stories for Liverpool, the rise of Jarrell Quansah stands out above all others.
Imagine telling this young centre-back last summer that in mid-March he would have made over 20 first-team appearances for his boyhood club and won the Carabao Cup at Wembley. I want you to try it.
He will be trusted to start alongside captain Virgil van Dijk in the crucial Premier League game against title rivals Manchester City at Anfield. Imagine making a prediction.
“If it were me, I would have said, 'There's no chance,'” Quansah says with a laugh. “Going into the season, the opportunity to train and learn from the best players in the world became even more important.
“Last summer I thought I was probably planning on going out on loan again. But when I went into pre-season with the first team, I just said to myself, 'I'm going to give it my all and do what I can.' must be shown.” Thankfully I was able to do it and kick on. I have already learned that football is a crazy game and anything can happen. ”
The clearly grounded 21-year-old talks about his journey through the club's academy so far, his debt to proud parents Samuel and Michel and his impressive rise under the first-team manager, as he talks about his commitment to Liverpool. He has become an attractive companion at the training facility. Jurgen Klopp.
The youngest of four children, Quansah grew up in Warrington, a town roughly halfway between Merseyside and Greater Manchester. There, his sporting talent is more often associated with his league of rugby than with football. He was discovered playing for his hometown junior club Woolston Rovers and joined Liverpool's academy at the age of five.
“I was in the center of midfield and I scored six goals in that game with scout John Alcock watching,” he says. “I was invited to sessions at the club's development center in Warrington for a few months and when I turned five I came to the academy several times a week. Becoming a professional footballer was the only thing I ever wanted to do. It was everything I wanted.”
Quansah, who was a student at Rocking Stamps Elementary School, had no shortage of offers. He spent time with the club in the north-west of England before officially signing for Liverpool at Under-9 level. There was a time when the academy staff feared losing him to Manchester City.
“I went around to different places to see what was out there. City, (Manchester) United, Wigan, Bolton… I did them all,” he says. “At the time, I was just playing and enjoying what I was doing. I was happy whenever I could play soccer. My parents thought it was better to have more options.
“I just remember that Liverpool gave me the best training. That's where I enjoyed my football the most and that's why I stayed.”
Jarel Quansah playing for Liverpool U18s in 2021 (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
It was during an under-9 tournament in Nantes, France, that Quansah first found himself playing as a centre-back.
“We were struggling in this semifinal, and the coach was like, 'Jarrell, go deeper and help us build up from the back.'” He didn't even blink. “I was always good with the ball and could dribble,” he says. “Since that day, I haven't played much elsewhere, except for a little bit at right-back.”
Quansah is joined by current Liverpool first-team colleagues Conor Bradley, Tyler Morton (on loan at Hull City in the Championship) and Billy Koumetio (also on loan at Blackburn Rovers in the second tier of English football). , Leighton Stewart (who left the club last summer to join Championship side Preston North End).
He captained Liverpool Under-18s until the 2021 FA Youth Cup final and delighted academy staff with his willingness to accept being given greater responsibility.
“I was probably the most shy person of my generation, so leadership didn't come naturally to me,” Quansah says. “I've never really spoken! It was just cold. The coaches were always telling me that I needed to talk more on the pitch. We gave armbands to the under-16 and under-18 teams. I had to push myself a little harder and be more vocal when I was attacked. I just tried to lead by example on the pitch and help people as much as I could off the pitch.”
For Quansah, family and football are everything.
His grandfather Samuel played for Ghana and started a new life in England in the late 1950s. He had a trial with Manchester United and then played at non-league level for Stalybridge Celtic and Droylsden.
His older brother Keenan, 26, turned professional at Accrington Stanley but was unable to force his way into the team. He currently plays as a full-back for Merseyside club Southport in the National League North, the sixth tier of English football, and Quansah is a regular visitor.
“I used to go all the time, but obviously this season was more difficult. I love watching him,” Quansah says. “I think I was about 11 years old when he signed his pro contract. He showed up every Saturday and I thought, 'Oh, this is exactly what I want to do.' What a job! ”
“Keenan has also come a long way in terms of what he's been through, culminating in turning professional, then sitting on the bench, not playing, dropping his level and working hard. He had to quit football completely at one point, but seeing the determination he showed saved me. It helped me stay calm. can.
“I'm always on my toes because I know it could happen to anyone. He probably helped me more than anyone else.”
even deeper
Quansah is a feel-good genius who could save Liverpool a lot of money.
Quansar's other siblings have different interests. His older brother Marley is a music major and his older sister Aliya is a Ph.D. “They are very different, but we are all close,” he added.
He left his parents' home in Warrington when he joined third-tier club Bristol Rovers on loan late last season and is now living in a flat in Manchester. He returned to Liverpool last summer and it was his 16-game spell in League One that gave him the perfect foundation to force his way into Klopp's plans this season. I believe.
“We lost 5-1 in our first game (away to Morecambe) but somehow we played well despite the scoreline,” he says. “I learned more in those 90 minutes than I have in years.
“It was a real eye-opener. I was grateful to the manager (Joey Barton) for believing in me and playing every game. Different strikers to play against, different styles. We have a young back four. We had a lot of teams thinking they could bully us and going straight at us. If you try to win in the air, you get beat up a little bit.
“There were times when I thought, 'I'm way out of line.' In academy football, I was comfortable, it wasn't particularly physically challenging, and I was just relaxing and cruising around during games. Then I was a little bit deep. It was kind of an eye-opener, but it was great for me.
Quansah learned a lot during his loan to Bristol Rovers (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
“I'm back in top shape after the summer break. I gave it my all and got a few chances on tour in Singapore. As pre-season progressed, the vibe was there. If you don't look out of place on the team, you won't be sent anywhere.”
Quansah made such a breakthrough last summer that Klopp felt there was no need to sign a new centre-back, with the then 20-year-old effectively joining Van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joel Matip. , becoming the top team's fifth choice after Joe. Gomez.
His senior debut came in the third leg away to Newcastle United in late August, when he was replaced by Matip with 13 minutes left in the 90th minute. Liverpool lost 1-0 in the first half after Van Dijk was sent off, and were down to 10 men, but Darwin Nuñez's double in the closing stages gave them a thrilling victory.
“I was nervous for about five minutes after Varg was sent off, sitting on the bench thinking, 'I can go here.' I was warming up, and when the time came, I felt ready. Like that. In a situation, only the atmosphere carries you, the whole buzz.”
Klopp's trust in Quansah was highlighted when he was given his first start in the Premier League away to Wolves two games later. Gomez covers for the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold at full-back, Matip suffers a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear at the end of December and Konate has had to deal with a number of muscular issues. As a result, Quansar's importance increased.
His progress has been rapid and his performances have become increasingly subdued, culminating in Sunday's game against Triple Crown winners City at Anfield, where a high-octane game ended in a 1-1 draw. – Contributed to negating the threat of Haaland.
“It all boils down to the trust the coach has shown in me,” Quansah said. “If someone's ummmmming and ahmming about letting you in, you're standing there thinking, 'Does he really think I'm good enough?'
“But Jurgen has done it with so many young players. It's about having the belief that they'll do well. He's looked after all of us well. I'm just trying to embrace all the styles and absorb as much as I can from him before he leaves in the summer.”
Quansah benefits from Jurgen Klopp's trust (Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
If Klopp is one of Quansah's football teachers, Van Dijk is the other.
“Varg explains the game to me while he’s playing it,” he says. “Before the match, he tells us about the opposing strikers and what to expect, what their strengths are, how they tend to be in certain situations, etc. He is the captain of the team Set the standard as
“All the other centre-backs helped me in different ways. Ibou (Konate)'s one-on-one defense is really special. I've never seen anything quite like it. Same with Joel. , as well as how to step in and move forward with the ball, how to break lines and choose the right passes. It's a great learning experience for me.”
Quansah himself is a student of the sport, spending hours studying videos of Sergio Ramos, Leonardo Bonucci, Paolo Maldini and Fabio Cannavaro on YouTube.“I love seeing how different defenders defend,” he says. “I'm a visual learner, so I'm always looking at how they handle certain situations and trying to put that into practice myself. No matter who I look at, I can quickly pick up on little things. I understand.”
Quansah alongside his mentor Van Dijk after the Carabao Cup final (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Ask Quansah to name one moment that stands out above all others this season, and the answer is instant: Wembley.
He was substituted by Konate at the start of the second period of extra time in last month's Carabao Cup final against Chelsea and was in the midst of celebrations after Van Dijk's 118th-minute winner.
His parents and siblings were in the stands and reunited in the players' lounge at Wembley after he lifted the trophy.
“It was crazy,” Quansah recalls. “When I entered the house, my brothers said, 'Mom and dad were crying!'
“It's nice to know that they're living the emotional roller coaster with me too. They've made a lot of sacrifices. The days they had to take time off from work to pick me up and drop me off at training. The days when I lost a game, got frustrated in the car, and cried and screamed on the way home…
“I really appreciate everything they've done for me. I saw the final as something that would reward them for all that and make them proud. They've already won big trophies this season. I'm glad I was able to show something and I hope there's more to come.”
Time is up. Quansah must report for a session at the gym.
He has gotten this far this season very quickly, saving Liverpool a fortune in the transfer market in the process, but the best may still be yet to come, with the club looking set to win the title, the FA Cup , Europa League. No matter what happens in the coming months, Quansah is in no hurry to move on.
“I'm playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world,” he says. “I've been here for 16 years, so why not make it 25 or 30?'' That's my dream. ”
(Top photo: James Pearce/The Athletic)
