Jarell Quansah returned to Liverpool with new driven purpose this summer. The 20-year-old had proven himself in League One, and he was determined to prove himself to Jurgen Klopp as well.
What transpired in the subsequent months has been more than just Quansah proving himself. He has also established himself as one of the most exciting young centre-backs in the Premier League. And well and truly cemented his place in Liverpool’s first team.
Even last weekend when Liverpool struggled against Manchester United, Quansah hardly put a foot wrong. He made a brilliant dribble to create the chance for Liverpool’s equaliser and was solid defensively as well. In total, Quansah made six clearances – the most for Liverpool, won five out of eight duels and completed the most passes on the pitch (93). Even if Liverpool were defeated, there can be no complaints about his performance.
That’s pretty much been the theme about Quansah all season. He is reliable and hasn’t ever let Jurgen Klopp down.
Jarell Quansah is better than even Virgil van Dijk in one area
So impressive has Quansah’s rise been that he has even bettered Virgil van Dijk, the man who sets the benchmark for defenders, in a key metric this season. Defensively, in particular, Quansah’s numbers have been very impressive.
And when it comes to winning defensive duels in the Premier League, not only does Quansah average more duels (5.1 per 90) than Van Dijk (3.51 per 90) he also wins a higher percentage of them. Quansah wins 70.59% of his defensive duels according to Wyscout, which is the highest among Liverpool’s centre-backs. It is marginally better than Van Dijk who wins 70.3%.
That statistic highlights just how impressive Quansah has been from a defensive point of view. However, it doesn’t highlight just how good he is on the ball as well. The Liverpool centre-back is so calm and composed. The reason why he is such an exciting prospect is not just because of his defensive prowess but because he is very effective in possession as well.