Ebou Adams

Club career

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. 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.

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. He would make 13 appearances for Cardiff during the 2023–24 season. 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. On 24 August 2024, Adams scored his first goal of the 2024–25 season in the second minute of a 2-1 loss to Watford at Vicarage Road. On 14 September 2024, Adams missed an open goal in the 97th minute of a 1-0 home victory over former club Cardiff City. Derby head coach Paul Warne called the miss "hilarious" and reminded him of Ronny Rosenthal's infamous miss for Liverpool against Aston Villa in September 1992. Adams was one Derby's best performers in the first two months of the 2024–25 season, with his strengths being his sheer work rate he gives to team, which flaws in his passing game may negate at times. In February 2025, new Derby head coach John Eustace named Adams as Derby's captain. On 23 April 2025, at The Derby County Supporters' Club awards dinner, Adams was announced as their 2024/25 Player of the Year. Each branch of the Supporters' Club ran their own polls on their top performer for Derby throughout the campaign, with the Adams receiving the most votes. One week later, Adams won the Jack Stamps Trophy and the Men's Player's Players of the Season award. Adams played 46 times for Derby during the 2024–25 season, 44 times in the league with six goals scored as Derby successfully fought off relegation back to League One.

Ahead of the 2025–26 season, Adams was named as the new full-time captain of Derby County, after the departure of Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, a role which had filled from February 2025, when Mendez-Laing lost his place in the Derby starting 11. In September 2025, Adams was replaced in the role by new signing Lewis Travis, with head coach Eustace praising the way Adams accepted this change of captaincy, Adams took on the role of vice-captain. Adams played 26 times in Derby's first team during the season, scoring one goal, 23 of the appearances were in league matches. In a two-year spell at Derby, Adams played 89 times for Derby, scoring 8 goals.

Portsmouth On 16 January 2026, Adams signed for fellow Championship club Portsmouth on a two-and-a-half year deal for an undisclosed fee, reported to be £500,000. On 25 January 2026, he scored his first goal for the club in a 1–1 draw at home to rivals Southampton in the South Coast derby. The week after, on 31 January 2026, Adams scored his second goal in a Portsmouth shirt, in a 3–0 home win over West Bromwich Albion.

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, Gambia's first continental tournament, where they reached the quarter-finals.

Career statistics Club

International

Scores and results list Gambia's goal tally first. No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 11 June 2024 Stade de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon 2–3 2–3 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification 2. 9 September 2025 Nyayo National Stadium, Nairobi, Kenya 2–0 2–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours Forest Green Rovers EFL League Two: 2021–22

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

Individual PFA Team of the Year: 2021–22 League Two Derby County Player of the Year: 2024–25