Ebou Adams

Ebrima "Ebou" Adams (born 15 January 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for club Derby County, and the Gambia national team.

He began his career at Conference National club Dartford, before gaining regular football and attracting interest from Football League clubs while on loan at Walton Casuals. Adams joined Norwich City in February 2016, and had loan spells at National League sides Braintree Town and EFL League One club Shrewsbury Town, he had another loan spell in the National League with Leyton Orient.

In June 2018, Adams signed with Ebbsfleet United of the National League, where he would remind for a year before returning to league football with Forest Green Rovers of EFL League Two on June 2019, where he would play a major part in the clubs League Two title in 2021–22.

In May 2022, Adams signed a three-year contract with EFL Championship club Cardiff City, however he would have to wait a year for his debut as he missed the whole of 2022–23 season due to two injuries. In January 2024, Adams joined Derby County of League One on loan, where he would help the club gain promotion to the Championship; this move was made permanent in July 2024.

In November 2017, Adams was called up to represent the Gambian national team. The English-born midfielder qualified through his parents and made his debut against Morocco B.

Early life
Adams was born in Greenwich and attended The John Roan School. After playing his youth football at Sutcliffe Rangers Fc, he joined Dartford's youth ranks at the age of 15. He moved up to the Dartford Academy in August 2012.

Dartford
On 26 April 2014, Adams made his Dartford debut with a 29-minute appearance in a 3–1 defeat to Nuneaton Town. Following his loan at Walton Casuals, he became a regular in the first team set-up and made 16 appearances during the 2015–16 season prior to his departure.

Walton Casuals (loan)
On 14 September 2014, he joined Isthmian Division One South club Walton Casuals on loan alongside Dartford teammates Kieran Scantlebury and Bode Anidugbe. He scored his first goal for the club in a 5–4 defeat to Whitstable Town the following month. Adams also scored in a 2–0 victory at home to Chipstead in March 2015.

Norwich City
On 1 February 2016, Adams joined Norwich City on an 18-month contract for an undisclosed fee, becoming Dartford's record sale. He immediately joined up with the Under-23s and made his youth team debut in a 7–0 defeat to a Manchester United team including Sergio Romero, Phil Jones and Memphis Depay.

Adams faced a tough start to life in the professional game with subsequent Premier League 2 appearances against Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur. He finished the season with nine Premier League 2 appearances and one assist.

Adams scored his first goal for the club in November 2016, completing a 4–1 win over MK Dons in the EFL Trophy. On 6 March 2017, he scored his first goal of the Premier League 2 campaign with the winning strike in a 2–1 victory at Newcastle United.

Braintree Town (loan)
In December 2016, Adams moved to National League club Braintree Town on a one-month youth loan. On 17 December, he made his debut from the bench in a 1–1 draw at Gateshead. Completing a full 90 minutes in a 1–0 win at Boreham Wood three days later, Adams was dismissed in the 73rd minute of a 3–2 win over Dagenham & Redbridge. A three-game suspension meant he was unable to feature again during his loan.

Shrewsbury Town (loan)
On 26 June 2017, he joined League One side Shrewsbury Town on a six-month loan. After being named as an unused substitute on the opening day of the season, Adams' debut – a 2–1 EFL Cup exit against Nottingham Forest – proved to be his only defeat with the club. He made his league debut shortly after with an eight-minute appearance from the bench in a 1–0 victory at AFC Wimbledon. He made a further four league appearances all from the bench, although three came in injury time. Adams recorded just 20 minutes of league action during his time with the club, with his final league appearance coming in a 1–1 draw with Blackburn Rovers on 23 September.

Adams also made two appearances in the EFL Trophy, assisting Louis Dodds for the final goal in a 3–0 victory over West Bromwich Albion U23s on 3 October. The match proved to be his final appearance for the club. In his eight appearances for the club, Adams was involved in a single loss – a 2–1 EFL Cup exit against Nottingham Forest on his debut.

On 8 January 2018, Adams returned to parent club Norwich City.

Leyton Orient (loan)
On 9 January 2018, he joined National League side Leyton Orient on loan for the remainder of the season.

Ebbsfleet United
On 1 June 2018, Adams joined National League side Ebbsfleet United.

Forest Green Rovers
On 18 June 2019, Adams moved to League Two club Forest Green Rovers on a two-year deal. Adams would play a major part in Forest Green's 2021–22 EFL League Two title success. He would also be named in the PFA Team of the Year for that season. Adams made 121 appearances for Forest Green in a three-year spell in Gloucestershire.

Cardiff City
On 13 May 2022, it was announced Adams would join Championship club Cardiff City on a three-year deal on 1 July. His first season was ended in pre-season as he suffered a clean tear of his pectoral muscle tendon 10 minutes into his first pre-season friendly for the club against Cambridge United in July 2022. He was due for a return six months later but then picked up a knee injury which ruled him out for the rest of the season without making a senior first team appearance.

Adams made his debut for Cardiff on 6 August 2023, in a 1–1 draw at Leeds United as a 31st minute substitute for Joe Ralls. He would make 13 appearances for Cardiff during the 2023–24 season.

Derby County (loan)
On 31 January 2024, Adams joined Derby County of League One, on a loan until the end of the 2023–24 season. Adams made his debut for Derby on 3 February 2024, in a 1–0 win at Charlton Athletic, where he started the game and played 72 minutes, before being substituted by Liam Thompson. Adams became a regular in Derby's midfield and impressed fans and teammates with his performances, Derby head coach Paul Warne was asked in March fans forum about the possibility of making the move permanent, Warne stated this was "less likely than more likely" to happen. On 29 March 2024, Adams scored his first goal for Derby in a 1–0 over Blackpool his goal was a first time effort on the edge of the box in the 40th minute, this goal was announced as Derby's goal of the season at their awards night. Adams received a nomination for League One Player of the Month for March. Adams made 17 appearances during his loan at Derby, as they finished runners-up in League One and secured promotion the Championship. At the end of his loan, Adams said he loved his time at Derby and admitted it would be hard to leave the club as fans chanted "sign him up!" in Derby's final game of the season against Carlisle United where he was named man of the match.

Derby County
On 17 July 2024, Adams joined Derby County on a permanent basis for an undisclosed transfer fee, signing a three-year contract.

International career
Born in England to Gambian parents, Adams debuted for the Gambia national team in November 2017 against Morocco B. He played in the 2021 Africa cup of Nations, his national team's first continental tournament, where they made a sensational quarter-final.

Honours
Forest Green Rovers
 * League Two: 2021–22

Derby County
 * League One second-place promotion: 2023–24

Individual
 * PFA Team of the Year: 2021–22 League Two