Derby County surely the happier team as Cardiff City fee for Ebou Adams revealed: View | OneFootball

Derby County look to have picked up a bargain with their recent signing of Ebou Adams

Derby County recently announced the permanent signing of Ebou Adams from Cardiff City, after the midfielder helped the Rams win promotion from League One on loan last season.

Adams joined Cardiff from Forest Green Rovers in the summer of 2022, but a torn pectoral muscle injury kept him out for the entirety of the 2022/23 campaign, and he made just 13 appearances during the following season for the Bluebirds, before being loaned to Derby in January.

His time in the East Midlands was far more successful than his time in Wales, and he became a mainstay in Paul Warne's side as the Rams finished second in League One and returned to the Championship for the first time since 2022.

Given how well he performed at Pride Park, Derby were keen to sign him on a permanent basis, and they recently got their man, forking out a reported £500,000 to sign him.

Derby County will be the happier side with Ebou Adams' £500k fee

Given his performances last season on loan, £500k seems like a bargain for Adams, and Derby will be absolutely delighted with what they've paid for the 28-year-old.

Adams still had a year left on his deal, so Cardiff could perhaps have asked for more, with John Percy of The Telegraph initially reporting the fee was due to be £1million, before Glen Williams of Wales Online confirmed it was to be £500,000 with add-ons.

Whilst Adams isn't too experienced at Championship level, having played just 11 games in the second tier, his performances at Derby, coupled with the club's desperation to sign him, meant that Cardiff should have been more ambitious with the fee, and the Rams will feel like they've had a blinder of a result, paying an initial fee of just £500k.

Cardiff probably won't be too bothered as they've still made money on Adams, having signed him on a free transfer after he left Forest Green Rovers in 2022, but at a time when money is short for many Championship clubs, the Bluebirds could have demanded at least £1million for the Gambian international.

Time will tell who the real winner of this deal is, and if Adams thrives in the Championship this season like he did in League One previously, you'd imagine that Cardiff would be kicking themselves for offloading him at a cut-price.

The 28-year-old's time in the Welsh capital just didn't work out for a variety of reasons, and he'll be looking to prove a point this coming season. With Cardiff traveling to Derby on the 14th September, he won't have to wait long to get one over on his former side.

As a newly-promoted side, Derby's aim for this season should just be staying in the division, and signing Adams will give the Pride Park faithful increased optimism that they're able to do so.

Adams started all 17 of Derby's league games following his arrival in January, and you'd expect him to be one of the first names on Warne's teamsheet yet again this season.

It's a big step-up from League One to the Championship, but given a run of games, Derby fans should be confident that he's able to make the leap to the second tier, as he was never given a regular run of Championship starts with Cardiff.

After his successful loan spell, it looked inevitable that Adams would return to Pride Park, and his spell with the Rams looks to have reenergised his career after a tough few seasons.

£500k for Adams looks a steal, and Cardiff City may regret letting him leave the club for such a small fee in the months to come.