I’m not sure why they let him go in the first place if I’m honest! Obviously I have the advantage of hindsight- if Leoni had not got injured then maybe I’d understand it now.
I think it's two fold. Quansah helped the Wirtz deal happen. No one was expecting Leoni to get crocked in his first game, AND the Guehi deal was expected to be in place for Gomez to then leave. So you then have 3 Senior CBs and 1 Young CB, who I think would become HG by 21?
This is a good topic to raise. It feels like Jarell is in the right place for his development. At 22/23, he'll get 30 starts in Buli + 11 in UCL (against some tough opponents). If Leverkusen can rally over the last 10 matchdays, he'll have the same opportunity to start in Buli/UCL at age 23/24. In summer 2027, we'll have a better idea of needs (do Virg & Ibou extend? how are Jeremy & Gio developing?). Summer 2027 is when the buyback is active & feels like the right time to assess his return.
I like Quansah. I really do. The profile makes sense in a lot of ways. Calm on the ball, carries it well, wins duels and — importantly — stays fit. For a team that dominates possession and sees its centre-backs on the ball a lot, that matters.
But if Liverpool are serious about playing a more adventurous, front-footed style next season, the bar for centre-backs changes. It’s not just about defending the box anymore. It’s about defending space — lots of it — when the press gets broken or possession turns over.
And the key point here is that pace alone isn’t the answer.
Straight-line sprint speed gets talked about all the time, but it’s only half the story. What matters just as much is agility. The ability to turn, adjust your body shape and survive the first duel without getting spun. You can be lightning fast over 40 metres and still struggle if someone runs directly at you in tight space.
You see this with Van de Ven. Probably the fastest defender in the Premier League — he’s clocked over 37 km/h — but even he can look awkward when the duel starts close to him. If the first engagement goes wrong, the sprint becomes a rescue mechanism rather than prevention.
Quansah’s data is interesting here. His duel numbers are strong and he’s been dribbled past extremely rarely, which suggests he’s actually quite composed when someone runs at him. But the pace data that’s out there places him somewhere in the middle rather than the very top tier for centre-backs. That’s fine in a deeper structure.
The question is whether it’s fine if Liverpool push the line higher.
And this is where the bigger squad picture matters. Liverpool already own Leoni and have Jacquet arriving. Those two profiles are very different.
Leoni isn’t particularly fast. His game is more about reading situations early, positioning and body control. Jacquet is much closer to the modern recovery-athlete profile — quicker across the ground and far more suited to defending space behind a high line.
So you can already see what the club might be doing: building complementary defensive profiles rather than stacking the same type of player.
Zoom out and Liverpool have already placed two bets on the next defensive cycle. Leoni as the long-term positional defender, Jacquet as the quicker, front-footed option. Add Quansah back into that and suddenly you’re carrying three young centre-backs who all need minutes and development, while still having Virgil and Ibou around for the short term.
At that point it stops looking like planning and starts looking like stockpiling.
Which is why the question isn’t really “is Quansah good enough?” He probably is. The question is whether he’s the best use of resources when the club has already invested in two young defenders who are meant to be part of the next cycle.
Good player? Yes.
Automatic buyback? I’m not convinced.
⸻
Sources
• Premier League sprint speed records (Micky van de Ven)
It's hard to find CBs that can do it all. Some, like van Hecke, are elite w ball retention & progression but aren't great athletes. Guehi is also exceptional w the ball but there are concerns re: aerial duels. This is why Virg was such a unicorn when we signed him (and still is despite a drop in athleticism). Jarell feels like one for summer 2027 as he'll benefit from another year as a starter + our needs will become more clear in the next season & a quarter.
Anybody think Liverpool should bring JQ home? Or definitely shouldn't?
I’m not sure why they let him go in the first place if I’m honest! Obviously I have the advantage of hindsight- if Leoni had not got injured then maybe I’d understand it now.
I have to assume it was because they thought Guéhi was a done deal. Maybe sort that out before letting Quansah go, eh, lads?
I think it's two fold. Quansah helped the Wirtz deal happen. No one was expecting Leoni to get crocked in his first game, AND the Guehi deal was expected to be in place for Gomez to then leave. So you then have 3 Senior CBs and 1 Young CB, who I think would become HG by 21?
This is a good topic to raise. It feels like Jarell is in the right place for his development. At 22/23, he'll get 30 starts in Buli + 11 in UCL (against some tough opponents). If Leverkusen can rally over the last 10 matchdays, he'll have the same opportunity to start in Buli/UCL at age 23/24. In summer 2027, we'll have a better idea of needs (do Virg & Ibou extend? how are Jeremy & Gio developing?). Summer 2027 is when the buyback is active & feels like the right time to assess his return.
I like Quansah. I really do. The profile makes sense in a lot of ways. Calm on the ball, carries it well, wins duels and — importantly — stays fit. For a team that dominates possession and sees its centre-backs on the ball a lot, that matters.
But if Liverpool are serious about playing a more adventurous, front-footed style next season, the bar for centre-backs changes. It’s not just about defending the box anymore. It’s about defending space — lots of it — when the press gets broken or possession turns over.
And the key point here is that pace alone isn’t the answer.
Straight-line sprint speed gets talked about all the time, but it’s only half the story. What matters just as much is agility. The ability to turn, adjust your body shape and survive the first duel without getting spun. You can be lightning fast over 40 metres and still struggle if someone runs directly at you in tight space.
You see this with Van de Ven. Probably the fastest defender in the Premier League — he’s clocked over 37 km/h — but even he can look awkward when the duel starts close to him. If the first engagement goes wrong, the sprint becomes a rescue mechanism rather than prevention.
Quansah’s data is interesting here. His duel numbers are strong and he’s been dribbled past extremely rarely, which suggests he’s actually quite composed when someone runs at him. But the pace data that’s out there places him somewhere in the middle rather than the very top tier for centre-backs. That’s fine in a deeper structure.
The question is whether it’s fine if Liverpool push the line higher.
And this is where the bigger squad picture matters. Liverpool already own Leoni and have Jacquet arriving. Those two profiles are very different.
Leoni isn’t particularly fast. His game is more about reading situations early, positioning and body control. Jacquet is much closer to the modern recovery-athlete profile — quicker across the ground and far more suited to defending space behind a high line.
So you can already see what the club might be doing: building complementary defensive profiles rather than stacking the same type of player.
Zoom out and Liverpool have already placed two bets on the next defensive cycle. Leoni as the long-term positional defender, Jacquet as the quicker, front-footed option. Add Quansah back into that and suddenly you’re carrying three young centre-backs who all need minutes and development, while still having Virgil and Ibou around for the short term.
At that point it stops looking like planning and starts looking like stockpiling.
Which is why the question isn’t really “is Quansah good enough?” He probably is. The question is whether he’s the best use of resources when the club has already invested in two young defenders who are meant to be part of the next cycle.
Good player? Yes.
Automatic buyback? I’m not convinced.
⸻
Sources
• Premier League sprint speed records (Micky van de Ven)
https://talksport.com/football/1888067/tottenham-fastest-premier-league-player-micky-van-de-ven/
It's hard to find CBs that can do it all. Some, like van Hecke, are elite w ball retention & progression but aren't great athletes. Guehi is also exceptional w the ball but there are concerns re: aerial duels. This is why Virg was such a unicorn when we signed him (and still is despite a drop in athleticism). Jarell feels like one for summer 2027 as he'll benefit from another year as a starter + our needs will become more clear in the next season & a quarter.
Time will tell.