Ebou Adams has admitted his delight at being back at Derby County and says he ‘can’t wait’ to get going again in a black and white shirt after the midfielder sealed a permanent move to Pride Park Stadium.
Adams, who became a fans’ favourite after signing on loan from Cardiff City in January, was a key fixture in last season’s promotion from Sky Bet League One, making 17 appearances and was keen to be part of the Rams’ Sky Bet Championship return.
After putting pen to paper on a contract until 2027 on Wednesday morning and surprising the squad with a visit to their Spanish training camp in Alicante, Adams sat down with RamsTV to talk about his relationship with the squad, goals for the 2024/25 season and his contagious smile.
On signing permanently for Derby County…
I can't describe it, to be fair. I'm just over the moon and happy that it's finally done. I think it's a long time coming. Nothing's certain in life, but I was really hoping it would go through and I'm very grateful that it has. And now I can continue smiling again and enjoy myself.
On waiting for the move to materialise…
I think I’ve had to be patient. I spoke to family and people around me, and they said don't think about it too much. So obviously I went on holiday, just enjoyed time with family and had international matches. They said just enjoy it, don't think about it too much. And if I did, I think I'd be losing my mind! So, I did that and obviously trained for a couple of weeks at Cardiff City and it was a case of just being patient. I’m here and can’t wait to get going!
To be fair, one of the Derby fans was tagging me every single day on social media. And I was probably thinking like him: ‘When's it going to happen?’. We're here now, so I think we can all relax and take a breath. A big breath!
On surprising the squad by the swimming pool in Spain…
I had to change clothes because they wet me up! It was good to be back and see them smiling, it's a good bunch of lads. I’ve been contacting them as well over the summer. It's not just about football, but just as friends as well. I’ve been speaking to a lot of them and it's actually really good that they did that as well. I’m actually very happy about that. I’ve got a good relationship with everyone. Just seeing everyone brings a massive smile to my face and with the staff as well - it's good that every single one of them welcomes me with open arms. I think, outside of football, personally, that I've made a good mark on them which is really good. Just to see them smile. I hope my smile is contagious so that it continues around the whole stadium and for everyone to carry on enjoying themselves.
On last season’s promotion day against Carlisle…
It's a day that I’ll never forget. People have asked me over the summer, is that one of my best ones? I've said, yeah, it has to be. I probably can't remember much, but obviously with the footage looking back; wow, what a moment. And it wasn't just for me, I think it was just for the club in itself, that Derby County are back to where they belong. And think now it's time for us to get our heads down and just do what we can in this league as well. It's not going to be easy. We're going to have to fight for every game and just enjoy the moment because that's what I'm going to be doing.
On progressing from last season…
I think that's a target, it has to be for me, because last year I was doing alright, I guess. But I think for me it's important just to be consistent, keep putting in the performances I have been, because I know a bit of the level and it will be tough. We need to just enjoy the moment, like I said, Derby are back where they belong. Let's see what we can do. I'm looking forward to it, I can't wait.
