New Cardiff City boss may have Derby County transfer frustration | OneFootball

The midfielder has been excellent since joining the Rams, and there may be some regrets from his former club over letting him go.

Derby County have been impressive on their return to the Championship after winning promotion back to the second tier last season.

The Rams have taken 14 points from their first 11 matches of the campaign, with all four of their wins so far in 2024/25 coming at home.

A huge reason behind not only their strength in the league this season, but also their quality on their way to their second place finish in League One in 2023/24 is Ebou Adams.

The Gambian international has been supreme in Paul Warne's midfield since January, originally joining Derby on loan for the second half of the previous campaign before the East Midlands-based club negotiated a £500k deal for the midfielder with Cardiff City in the summer.

It's a move that has already paid off this year, and could leave the next Bluebirds manager with some frustrations.

Adams being sold could be an annoyance to Cardiff's next manager

While they are seemingly no closer to hiring a new permanent manager, Cardiff have started to improve in the last couple of weeks under Omer Riza, and they have finally moved out of the relegation zone thanks to a 2-0 win over Portsmouth in mid-week.

However, Adams' new club have enjoyed a much better start to the season, and they have already beaten the South Wales-based side at Pride Park.

The Rams ran out 1-0 winners in September, a result that could have shown a greater gulf between the two teams if the 28-year-old had managed to find the back of the net from an open goal with the last kick of the game.

Nevertheless, Derby's number 32 was supreme on that day in DE24, and proved to his former boss, Erol Bulut, why he should not have let him go. This could be extremely frustrating for whoever comes in as Cardiff's new manager as they would never have got to witness the ability that the midfielder possesses, and instead will just have to watch on as he becomes an even bigger fan's favourite in black-and-white.

Adams has built a fantastic relationship with Derby

Although it could have seemed like an easy choice to keep Adams at the Cardiff City Stadium, the love that Rams supporters had for the 28-year-old looked to be too much to leave behind, and Warne pushed for a move throughout the summer.

Adams' ability to win the ball back is a key part of his game, and he is one of just a few Championship players to have completed over 40 tackles in the opening 11 matches of 2024/25. Warne's high-intensity style of play matches the ex-Forest Green Rovers man's attributes, and he is one of the first names on the teamsheet every week.

He has already scored twice for the Rams since joining back in January, and both goals have been excellent. A superb volley against Blackpool in March won Derby'sGoal of the Season award, while his strike against Watford was the club's first on the road this season.

If Adams continues to play the role he has done in his relatively short time at Pride Park, then there is no doubt that he can forge a bit of a legacy at the club, and continue to be the general that he is in the midfield - much to the disappointment and possible regret of Cardiff.