Who is Jarell Quansah? The Liverpool ‘phenomenon’ making his first Premier League start
Jarell Quansah will make his full Premier League debut for Liverpool today at Wolves, as Jurgen Klopp gives the 20-year-old defender his backing with a first start.
Quansah is a Liverpool academy product who has impressed in the club’s reserve team and on loan at Bristol Rovers last season, where he made 16 starts in League One. He has worked his way through the international age groups for England, appearing at the Under-20 World Cup last summer – though he remains eligible to play senior football for any of Scotland, Ghana and Barbados.
The 6ft 2in centre-back is right footed and has built a reputation for his ability to play out from the back and break lines with accurate passing into midfield, and his enormous potential is one of the reasons the club didn’t feel an urgent need to spend big in defence over the summer.
Quansah gets his opportunity today in place of the suspended Virgil van Dijk, who was sent off in Liverpool’s remarkable win over Newcastle at St James’ Park. Quansah came on in the latter stages of that game and it is fair to say Trent Alexander-Arnold was impressed by his new teammate.
“Jarell Quansah, absolutely phenomenal in his first game for us, coming on in an atmosphere and an environment like this is extraordinary,” Alexander-Arnold said after the 2-1 comeback win. “To hold his own in the way he’s performed is outstanding.”
Good luck to Jarell Quansah 🤞🏻
Watched him at the academy since he was 7yrs of age, great kid & player. https://t.co/3O1wiWEoau— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) September 16, 2023
Quansah later revealed what Klopp had told him before entering the field.
“He just said that I’m ready for it and I felt ready, but as ready as you can be in this scenario,” Quansah told LFCTV. “You don’t expect to make your debut away with 10 men at St James’ Park 1-0 down, so it’s hard to put into words at this minute.
“I’m normally cool anyway but it’s always easier when something is sprung on you and you have got the adrenaline running through your veins. It’s what dreams are made of, a cliché but it’s so true. I’m ready for whatever comes.”
He later added on Instagram: “Couldn’t have asked for a better Premier League debut. Hard to put into words the feelings and emotions. A day I’ve dreamed of from the very start. Time to kick on.”
Quansah also played against Aston Villa at Anfield a week later, where the Reds won 3-0. Now, returning after the international break looking to continue their momentum, Klopp has backed his young talent to play from the start at Molineux.
