Derby County beat League One competition to sign Cardiff City player | OneFootball

Derby County are set to win the race to secure Cardiff City midfielder Ebou Adams on loan, according to Football Insider.

The Rams have only made one senior signing during this window thus far, with Corey Blackett-Taylor joining on a loan deal from Charlton Athletic.

Blackett-Taylor's contract expires in the summer and that could give the Rams the opportunity to secure a longer-term agreement after that - but overall - their January window has been fairly quiet.

In fairness to the East Midlands side, they have arguably needed to focus on keeping some of their prized assets at Pride Park, with the likes of Max Bird, Eiran Cashin and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing all being linked with exits this term.

They will be keen to secure at least another addition in their quest to secure a top-two finish though, with automatic promotion rivals Portsmouth signing quite a few players this month to strengthen their squad.

Matt Macey, Myles Peart-Harris, Callum Lang and Tom McIntyre have all arrived on the south coast - and the Rams will want their squad to be as strong as possible at the end of the window tomorrow to give themselves the best chance of competing with John Mousinho's side.

Derby County latest on Ebou Adams

Other League One clubs had been interested in securing a deal for Adams, but the Rams have won the race for him.

He will join on a short-term loan for the remainder of the season, allowing Paul Warne to address a position he wanted to strengthen throughout the transfer window.

Adams hasn't enjoyed the best time at Cardiff following his move from Forest Green Rovers.

After enduring an injury-hit first season in the Welsh capital, he has made just 13 appearances in all competitions this term.

Ebou Adams could be a valuable temporary option for Derby County

Adams has spent much of the campaign on the bench and with this in mind, it may take him a while to get into a rhythm.

Clearly, he's a talented player and he showcased his skills at Forest Green.

Taking a step down a division could help him majorly because he hasn't enjoyed the best time at Cardiff and had to make two steps up the football pyramid when he was signed by the Bluebirds.

That was always going to be a big ask, but now he has some Championship experience under his belt, he could be a real asset in the third tier and could provide some depth in the middle of the park.