Liverpool Under-21 coach Barry Lewtas has been delighted with Jarell Quansah’s progress on loan at Bristol Rovers claiming the talented centre-back has continued his fine performances at youth level into a senior environment.
Quansah has started and played 90 minutes in all five of Rovers’ matches since he arrived on loan from the Reds to replace Bobby Thomas whose agreement with Burnley was abruptly terminated and the 22-year-old sent to Barnsley instead.
Quansah was given an extra week to train with the squad, after their fixture against Wycombe Wanderers on January 20 was postponed, but it’s still been a challenging environment for the young defender to work in, as he’s been immediately parachuted into a rebuilt defence of a team struggling for results, let alone having to adapt to a new set of teammates in a different part of the country.
But the 20-year-old has delivered a series of impressive performances, most notably against Ipswich Town last week where he was named man of the match.
Unfortunately he, along with several others, weren’t able to build on that point against Burton Albion on Saturday, as Quansah missed a header from a long ball in the build up to the first goal, but his parent club have been impressed by what they’ve seen so far.
“He is doing well. I spoke to Jarell this week,” Lewtas told Liverpool's official site, speaking before Rovers' 2-1 loss to Burton. “I have watched all of his games, apart from the Ipswich game, live. I think Jarell has acquitted himself really well actually.
“From our point of view, we have been really pleased with certain parts of his game and how he has gone in there straight from the off. He has carried on the good form he was having with us.
“He was certainly ready for a loan and he was ready to go in somewhere and start. I’m really pleased he has gone in there and been given this opportunity. In my opinion, he has done well and the important thing for him now is to try to stay in the team and try to contribute.”
Providing he maintains a level of consistency, a challenge in itself for an inexperienced defender, Quansah’s performances will help Rovers in the short term but the bigger picture is also beneficial for the Gas.
There have been grumblings that Rovers’ increased status as a finishing school for talent higher up the pyramid - with Quansah potentially following Elliot Anderson, Connor Taylor, James Connolly and Josh Coburn - is a quick-fix scenario for the club with no lasting benefits.
While that argument isn't without merit, ultimately Joey Barton is operating within a transfer market in the EFL that is becoming increasingly reliant on loans from the Premier League, due to the lack of spend below the top-flight.
They are far from an isolated case and, according to Transfermarkt, of the 121 transactions into the division's 24 clubs in the January window, 59 - 48.7 per cent - were loans.
Having to operate well within an ever-evolving market is just a reality in the wake of the pandemic which had such a defining impact on the financial landscape of the EFL.
Therefore the more players who make the temporary move to the Mem and are subsequently successful, the greater chance the Gas then have in being able to bring in similar talent ahead of their rivals in the division.
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