Ebou Adams has now amassed ten appearances for Pompey since his £500k January switch from Derby County in the January transfer window, whilst providing three goal involvements along the way.
It’s now looking like ‘the General’ should be earning the title of ‘the Admiral’ after his impressive start to life on the South Coast in his attempts to keep Pompey afloat.
The experienced operator has quickly become a fan favourite among the Fratton faithful.
The former Derby midfielder etched himself into the Pompey history books by scoring a 77th-minute equaliser against bitter rivals Southampton in only his third appearance for the club.
This culminated in Pompey’s new number 38 running the length of the pitch before unveiling his signature ‘salute’ celebration to the pandemonium of the Fratton end.
Away from the goals, from an outside perspective Adams has seemingly changed the mentality around the Pompey camp.
He has added much needed Championship experience and a real sense of solidity and intensity at the centre of the park which had felt missing at times this season.
All this while having the real knack of getting in the opposition’s head, often to the entertainment of the Pompey fans.
Adams has reinvigorated a Portsmouth side looking to extend their tenure in the Championship for another season.
Pompey fans have always held passion and desire in high regard in their players, and that is much needed when in the midst of a relegation battle.
Adam’s arrival at PO4 could not have come at a better time in some respects with Portsmouth only being one point above the relegation in 21st place as of when Adams signed.
Pompey have picked up 14 points from a possible 30 since both his arrival, and the horror 5-0 loss at Ashton Gate against Bristol City on New Year’s Day.
This is definitely a mark of positive change in the right direction for Mousinho’s men with the consistently good team performances since, epitomising it.
Including both his statistics at Pompey and at Derby, Adams is among some of the top-performing players in his position this season.
In terms of ‘tackles per 90’, Adams ranks fifth in the league with only four other players bettering his average of 3.6.
His consistent stats have extended from his impressive achievement in the 2024/25 Championship campaign of winning the most duels (352) out of any EFL Championship player.
(All of the stats used are courtesy of FOTMOB.)
These tackles, paired with Adam’s sheer resilience, have been crucial in recent times in transitioning from defence to attack almost seamlessly.
Adam’s ability to break up play at pivotal moments in games is also what has provided Pompey with the luxury of feeling much more secure in their style of play.
This has prompted players to feel more comfortable in trying bolder and more adventurous passes.
They now feel a sense of stability in knowing the Gambian is there to clean up any loose balls or make amends for any errors.
Speaking after Adams signed for Portsmouth on the 16th of January, Mousinho expressed his excitement at securing the signature of the 30-year-old, former Derby captain on a two-and-a-half year deal:
When asked about what makes Adams such a vital part in Pompey’s fight to stay up this season, Blues boss Mousinho described Derby’s 2024/25 ‘fan’s player of the season’ as a “throwback” player.
Reinforcing the idea of Adams being a very traditional box-to-box midfielder, whose dynamism and vigour could really aid Pompey in their goal to climb up the Championship table.
Despite Adams’ hugely successful start to his Pompey career, his collection of seven yellow cards earned at Derby in the first half of the season.
Combined with his two yellow cards in Pompey colours, means that he is only one yellow card off the ten-card threshold, which would see him sidelined for two fixtures.
Adams is left walking a tight-rope, needing to get through three more league games for Pompey without getting booked.
This is due to the fact that the card threshold resets after Pompey have played their 37th league game of the season, which happens to be against Gambia’s former employers, Derby.
Pompey sit five points above 22nd-place Leicester City and the drop zone.
This is whilst holding a one-game advantage over the rest of the teams in and around them after their home fixture with Ipswich Town was postponed for a second time back in early February.
The league table is not, however, reflective of the very impressive performances that Adams and Pompey have been showcasing recently.
Fixtures against Sheffield United, Wrexham and Hull City have all featured great showings from the Blues but have clearly lacked the crucial points these performances deserved.
Pompey now head to Blackburn Rovers this coming Saturday, a crucial relegation six-pointer which, thankfully, Adams will be available for as the Blues look to take three points back down to PO4.
For Adams, though, his £500,000 move from Derby in January is looking ever and ever more like a coup that Rich Hughes and Mousinho will be hoping can continue in reaching the heights he has shown in his short stint so far.
Hopefully he can be the difference maker in keeping Pompey afloat for another season.
