Quansah's £35m Leverkusen rise proves Liverpool academy chief wrong after Anfield exit

Jarell Quansah has emerged as one of the more striking success stories of last summer’s transfer window, with the 23-year-old centre-back flourishing at Bayer Leverkusen following his £35m departure from Liverpool — and in doing so, proving his former club’s own academy director wrong.

Quansah joined Leverkusen ahead of the 2025-26 season and has since established himself as a regular starter under the German side’s coaching staff, while also earning the trust of England manager Thomas Tuchel at international level. The trajectory stands in sharp contrast to the bit-part role he might have occupied had he remained at Anfield under Arne Slot.

Liverpool academy director Alex Inglethorpe acknowledged as much in a candid admission to the BBC. “I’ve been proven wrong so many times in the past,” Inglethorpe said. “A good example would be Jarell — someone who was always liked and never in danger of leaving but probably never seen in the top three in the group.” He conceded that Quansah’s development might not have reached the same level in a reduced role at Liverpool.

Elsewhere in the latest news from Anfield, Liverpool legend Phil Thompson has suggested that manager Andoni Iraola missed an opportunity in the summer window by not moving to bring Jordan Henderson back to Merseyside. Henderson, 36, joined Chelsea from Brentford, recruited by Blues head coach Xabi Alonso alongside Danny Welbeck to bring experience to a young squad.

Thompson believes the former Liverpool captain could have helped fill the leadership void left by the departures of Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson. “I’d have had Jordan Henderson back last summer,” Thompson said. “He was taken to Chelsea by Alonso for a reason. You see what I’m trying to say in terms of values at football clubs — we’ve lost a lot of characters.”

Iraola signed just two first-team players during his first transfer window in charge, with the summer ending in dramatic fashion with the £123m acquisition of Bradley Barcola. The Spaniard’s unbeaten start to the Premier League season faces its sternest examination this weekend when Liverpool host Manchester City at Anfield, a fixture that pits two of the division’s only unbeaten sides against each other — City currently lead the table, with Liverpool sitting sixth.