Jarell Quansah has broken his silence on leaving Liverpool for Bayer Leverkusen.
It was a move that saw the 22-year-old centre-back depart Anfield for a fee of £30 million plus £5 million in potential add-ons.
The deal also includes a £51 million buyback clause, giving the Reds future flexibility.
His exit leaves Arne Slot with just three senior central defenders as pre-season rolls on.
Now settling into life in Germany, Quansah is looking forward rather than back.
The England U21 international trained with Leverkusen for the first time on Thursday in Rio de Janeiro after flying straight in from his holiday.
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Quansah outlines reasons for choosing Leverkusen
In an interview with BILD, Quansah made it clear that his decision was driven by the professionalism and intent shown by the Bundesliga champions.
“I learned a lot at Liverpool, and I can’t thank everyone enough for that. But I’ve found my own path in football and am now ready for the next step,” he said.
“Leverkusen tried very hard to get me, it was very professional. It was clear to me that Leverkusen would be my first choice if I were to move.”
Despite widespread interest from across Europe, Quansah dismissed most of it as noise.
“If you read the internet, you’ll find 100 rumours and 1,000 teams that are supposedly interested in you. As far as I’m concerned, there was only one team with serious intentions.”
He also paid tribute to his Liverpool mentors, particularly Virgil van Dijk, saying,
“What he has is unique, the structure with which he plays. You can’t replicate everything.
“I’ve learned from all the defenders at Liverpool. I think they’re happy with my development. I hope I’ll reach their potential one day.”
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