Klopp could never have imagined Jarrell Quansah going from a rookie at Liverpool to an established player.The centre-back failed to make his debut for Liverpool before the start of the season. He returned to Anfield after a loan spell at Bristol Rovers in League One. When Klopp was asked to sign a new centre-back during the summer transfer window, Quansah jumped at the opportunity and has made 16 appearances so far.
The 20-year-old produced another perfect performance to secure Liverpool’s place at Wembley in the Carabao Cup final after his side were held 1-1 by Fulham in the last four games. Not only that, he also set up Luis Diaz’s first goal, which played a decisive role as Liverpool won 3-2 on aggregate. Quansah’s cross was tipped over by Diaz, who broke into the Fulham box and failed to hit the near post. While the Colombia international received most of the plaudits, Quansah’s contribution did not go unnoticed. This is no coincidence either. The former Reds Under-18 captain registered his third assist of the season.
Quansah set up Diogo Jota’s goal in a 3-1 win over Leicester City in the third round of the Carabao Cup and also set up Dominic Szoboszlai’s goal in the quarter-final against West Ham. In all competitions, Quansah is Liverpool’s third-highest assist scorer in all competitions, behind Darwin Nunez (10), Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold (both 9).
Interestingly, Joe Gomez had three assists along with De Jota, Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones and Kostas Tsimikas, while Szoboszlai Alexis McAllister and Ryan Gravenberch each had two assists. Furthermore, Quansah has scored more goals directly than Jack Grealish and Mykhailo Mudryk (both signed for £100m and £88.5m from Manchester City and Chelsea respectively). Virgil van Dijk’s ability to quickly initiate attacks with long passes is an underrated trait for Liverpool. Quansah is considered a long-term successor to the Liverpool captain due to his dominant defensive skills. He has shown early signs that he can fill the void in possession.
But the Reds are five points clear at the top of the Premier League and head into the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea. And with Liverpool still competing in the Europa League and FA Cup, it’s likely they’ll go deep in their respective competitions. The sponsors probably weren’t prepared for this hit to their bank balances. It should not be ignored.One of the biggest revelations of this season was definitely unexpected.
