Jarell Quansah: Does the heir apparent to Virgil van Dijk have England Euros potential?
Amid a defensive crisis at the start of this season, Jurgen Klopp turned to the academy, as he often does.
The exciting talent that is Jarrell Quansah rose to this challenge and it is fair to say he has never looked back.
The now 21-year-old Quansah’s rise has been quite remarkable. He had been nowhere near being a Liverpool first-team player, and spent last season on loan at Bristol Rovers in Sky Bet League One.
His progress during pre-season convinced Klopp that he could survive without signing another centre-back.
Upon getting his chance, the right-footed defender put in some commanding performances and turned what was supposed to be a stopgap solution into a regular starting place.
Quansah has now played 27 games across all competitions this season, including a key role in the Carabao Cup win at Wembley last month, and he is one of the reasons the Reds have been able to compete on all fronts despite a glut of injuries.
Jarell Quansah Transfer Value - how much is he worth now?
According to our Player Valuation Model, Quansah has a current Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €2 million.
His value has skyrocketed since his debut and will continue to rise as he plays week-in-week-out for a title-challenging team.
The market for high-quality centre-backs is very competitive, and players like Ousmane Diomande and Goncalo Inacio are likely to cost upwards of €60million.
Liverpool had been expected to be in the market for defensive reinforcements in the summer, but they might not need to given that they already possess one of the finest young defenders around.
The heir to Virgil van Dijk?
Klopp’s impending departure is not the only big change on the horizon for Liverpool. Having won every possible trophy in his seven seasons, Virgil van Dijk is also expected to move on in the near future.
Quansah has benefited greatly from playing alongside the 32-year-old, but can he be the long-term replacement for the club captain? The first impressions have been very promising.
Apart from his physique, Quansah also shares the Dutchman’s temperament and on–the-ball qualities.
With 5.7 progressive passes per 90, Quansah ranks in the top 10% of centre-backs in the league. He consistently seeks to break the lines and progress the play with his passing, a critical attribute when playing for a team like Liverpool.
This front-foot approach and technical skill under pressure is something which will be appreciated by the new manager.
The England U21 international also displays a Joel Matip-esque ability to create overloads from defence. In terms of ball-carrying, he ranks in the top 4% of centre-backs in the Premier League for progressive carrying distance, making him a very complete package already.
Another hallmark of successful Liverpool centre-backs is their dominance in the air, with van Dijk, Konate and Matip all maintaining an aerial win rate of close to 70%.
At 1.90 metres, Quansah shares this quality and his 3.53 aerial duels won at a 68% success rate rank him highly among positional peers in the league. He also has good recovery pace, and has shown the ability to anticipate danger and make vital tackles and interceptions.
However, his high-profile mistake against Manchester United last weekend highlighted that he is still a work in progress.
Bruno Fernandes, what a GOAL 😱 pic.twitter.com/yxL9VDrIKN
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 7, 2024
Making errors is part of the game, and young players learn more from such situations than when everything goes their way. Quansah showed great maturity to be able to put that behind him and see out the game.
What about the Euros?
There seem to be some open spots in the England defence going into the Euros, and the Liverpool academy graduate has been one of the names touted to make the England squad.
Gareth Southgate is usually very conservative with his selection, but surprised everyone by calling up Manchester United prodigy Kobbie Mainoo after a similarly impressive run of form.
However, Quansah was not called up last month during the final international break before the tournament, making his selection much less likely.
But after all, nobody expected him to make such a significant impact for his club this season either.
So it would be foolish to write him off just yet...
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