LAST Friday, Portsmouth announced the signing of Ebou Adams from Derby County on a two-and-a-half-year deal
The 30-year-old midfielder then quickly made his debut the following day, when he came off the bench in Pompey’s 1-0 victory away at Sheffield Wednesday.
It has been clear that over the course of the season, John Mousinho’s side has lacked physicality and bite in the midfield, leaving mainstay Andre Dozzell having to partner next to several different options.
However, now with the addition of Adams, who is known as a physical presence, as well as a leader in the middle of the park, Mousinho will be hoping that the player he has admired for a few years now can be the answer.
On John’s admiration, Ebou said: “It feels really good when someone wants you that badly.
“You never know how things pan out, and obviously I have gone to Derby, done what I have done, and for him to still want me to sign me is actually a big credit to myself, and it is really nice to see that I am still appreciated.”
At this moment in time, Portsmouth currently sit 21st in the Championship, one point above Norwich City, who occupy 22nd – the final spot in the bottom three.
However, Pompey still has big aspirations for the future, with where the club can and wants to go, with Adams being a stern building block to that process.
On the project, Adams stated: “He (John Mousinho) sold it in terms of where the team wants to be, not just end of the season, but the next couple of years, which is really good.
“The way they play and the way they press with and without the ball, I think with my qualities, I feel I can add to that. “
Ebou is already familiar with some of the faces in PO4, with Sporting Director Richard Hughes being at Forest Green Rovers at the same time as Adams.
Goalkeeper Ben Killip and winger Josh Murphy played with Adams during his time at Norwich City back in 2016, as well as club captain Marlon Pack, who was at Cardiff City when Adams joined from Forest Green in the summer of 2022.
On how the familiar faces have helped Adams settle into the group, he said: “I spoke to Marlon a few times, after playing against you so many times, we have a little chuckle, and we get used to each other, and with Josh Murphy, who I was with at Norwich.”
“So it is really nice because once I came in, it was easier for me to get to know the boys and make things more lively.”
The former Derby County captain has been on the south coast for less than a week, but has already taken part in many training sessions, as well as making his debut less than 24 hours after signing on the dotted line.
On the intensity in training, Ebou believes: “The intensity has been really good.”
“The boys are funny (he laughed), they have been mocking me a little bit with a little video.
“With I think the photo, that everyone has seen with the pen, which has been mentioned, so it is nice to get everyone looking, everyone has welcomed me in, and that is important for me.”
The former Dartford academy graduate played 34 minutes on his Pompey debut this past Saturday, partnering Dozzell in midfield.
On how he found his debut, Ebou believes: “I wanted to come on and make an impression, only in terms of I just want to win a game.
“In terms of my performance, I did not focus too much on that as long as I helped the lads pick up three points on the board.”
During his two-and-a-half-year spell at Derby County, Adams captained the Rams to promotion from League One to the Championship in 2024, and was club captain last season and this season up until his departure.
On being a leader, Ebou said: “I will come into add my qualities, whether it be my performance on the pitch or whether it be my voice or to help the players out or whatnot.
“And on Saturday, it was really good because as soon as I came on, I was speaking to players like Chaps (Conor Chaplin), Terry (Devlin), and Swan (Zak Swanson), everyone’s like communicating with their position.
“I think that it is important that I have a good connection with that, which for me is important to settle down and get used to showing my voice and hopefully allowing me to express myself.”
Finally, there is a lot of noise about the end of the week, when Pompey welcome Southampton in the first league meeting at Fratton Park, in over 13 years on Sunday.
But for Portsmouth, it is one game at a time, with Vicarage Road on Wednesday being the final pit stop before arguably the Blues’ biggest game of the campaign to date.
On the week ahead, Adams added: “That game keeps getting mentioned (the derby).
“Do you know what, now we started with obviously Saturday, I just got on.
“I think that is a nice foundation to build up from because the first half was not great, but the second half was better.
“But we will use it as a platform to step onto Watford, and hopefully we can cause some damage leading into the game that everyone’s talking about.”
