Derby County’s midfield options have been strengthened with the signing of Ebou Adams from Cardiff City.

The 28-year-old has joined the Rams on loan from the Sky Bet Championship side for the remainder of the 2023/24 campaign. Adams, who has recently returned from the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations with Gambia, is the Rams’ second signing of the January transfer window following the addition of Charlton Athletic winger Corey Blackett-Taylor last week.

The central midfielder played alongside Derby’s Kane Wilson during Forest Green Rovers’ 2021/22 League Two title-winning campaign and his performances saw him named in the division’s Team of the Year and resulted in his switch to the second tier with Cardiff.

Adams, subject to international clearance, could make his debut for the Rams in Saturday’s League One fixture at Charlton (3pm kick-off).

Ebou Adams In Profile

Adams, born in Greenwich, came through the youth ranks at Dartford and made his professional debut in the latter stages of the 2013/14 season in the National League.

He had a loan spell at Walton Casuals in the Isthmian Division One South during the following campaign before returning to his parent club to make four appearances in the closing weeks of the National League season.

Adams established himself in the Dartford side during 2015/16 in the National League South at the age of 18 and his impressive displays saw him attract interest from various clubs.

Norwich City, then playing in the Premier League, signed Adams for what was a record fee for Dartford in February 2016 and he immediately joined the Canaries’ Under-21s squad.

He was a regular in Premier League 2 for the remainder of the season as well as in 2016/17 and he scored for Norwich’s Under-21s in a 4-1 home win against MK Dons in the EFL Trophy.

A brief loan move to Braintree Town in the National League followed in late 2016, and the 2017/18 campaign saw him on the move again with loan spells at Shrewsbury Town in League One and Leyton Orient in the National League.

After leaving Norwich in the summer of 2018, Adams sealed a permanent move to Ebbsfleet United. He made 38 appearances and was a regular in their side throughout the 2018/19 National League campaign.

His form resulted in a return to the EFL in the summer of 2019 with League Two Forest Green, with three successive years of regular game time following. He quickly established himself in the side in the COVID-19-curtailed 2019/20 season, as well as in 2020/21 as the Gloucestershire outfit missed out on promotion via the play-offs.

Adams’ most impressive campaign to date came in 2021/22 as Forest Green won the League Two title. He was a driving force in the middle of the park and his displays saw him named in the division’s Team of the Season.

After 121 appearances and ten goals during three years at The New Lawn, Adams made the step up to the Championship in the summer of 2022 when Cardiff signed him as a free agent. Since moving to the Welsh capital, he has made 13 appearances at club level, as he edges towards 300 in his career, and his most recent outing came off the bench earlier this month in the Bluebirds’ 2-1 success at Queens Park Rangers.

Although he was born in England, Adams qualifies for Gambia through his grandparents. He made his international bow in 2017 and has 16 caps in total. He has also been part of the Gambia squad for the 2021 and 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, reaching the quarter-finals in the former.

* This signing is subject to international clearance.