Derby County are set to add yet another body to their midfield department by acquiring the services of Ebou Adams from Cardiff City on a permanent basis, according to the latest reports.
It became common knowledge over the past few weeks that the Rams were keen to bring the Gambian back to Pride Park after a successful stint on loan in the previous campaign. Having moved to Derbyshire from the Welsh capital back in January on a temporary deal, Adams went on to make 17 appearances in League One to help Paul Warne’s side earn automatic promotion to the Championship.
On the final day of the season, as Derby lifted themselves into England’s second tier with a 2-0 win over already-relegated Carlisle United, the 28-year-old won the Man of the Match award and was subject to a chant of “We want you to stay” which rang out around the home ground by the supporters.
In response, Adams hinted that he would love to return to the club this summer and that it’s “never a goodbye” from him [quotes via BBC Sport]:
“It’s never goodbye from me,” he added. I don’t know where I’m going to be.”
It looks as though fans are set to get what they want. John Percy of The Telegraph revealed on Thursday afternoon that Derby County are closing in on a deal to permanently take Adams from the Bluebirds. The club will pay just under £1 million to secure his services. Darren Witcoop later added to this, stating that the official figure that the Rams will spend is £900,000 and that Adams will complete his return to the side sometime next week.
Furthermore, Witcoop has also reported that, despite being on the verge of signing Adams and having already acquired Kenzo Goudmijn from AZ Alkmaar and free-agent Ben Osborn, the club are still looking to bring yet another midfielder to the squad.
Writer’s View
Warne clearly feels as though the key to batting away a possible relegation back down to League One is by bolstering their depth in the middle of the park. If and when Adams re-joins the club, Derby County will have signed three midfielders this summer but the manager doesn’t want to stop there.
The newly-promoted side did hold an interest in Ipswich Town star Idris El Mizouni following his successful loan stint at Leyton Orient last season, although the Tunisia international has since moved to Oxford United. It’s unclear right now who else the Rams are targeting.
Deputy Head of Writing
