Done Deals: Two each for Owls, Orient, Gas and Crawley – plus Ali Maxwell on Ebou Adams to Pompey
Every day from Tuesday to Saturday, NTT20.COM writes-up and rates every single signing in the Championship, League One, and League Two.
Contributors include: Ali Maxwell, George Elek, Sam Parry, Huw Davies, Riley Roberts, Matt Watts, Craig Bradley, Gab Sutton and Luke “LouOrns” McKenzie.
Fourteen more transfers on a Friday where four teams doubled up.
Ali Maxwell breaks off today, and he’s landed right behind the green ball…
🟢 Ebou Adams (CM) - [Derby - Portsmouth] - Undisclosed (reported £500,000)
Portsmouth have not been winning the midfield battle this season. Tackling, interceptions, screening, ball-winning – it has not been good enough. Ebou Adams is one of the most energetic ball-winning central midfielders in the Championship, as well as a natural leader with an infectious personality. That is something Portsmouth’s Director of Football, Rich Hughes, knows first-hand: both Hughes and Adams secured moves up the pyramid after winning League Two with Forest Green five seasons ago.
Good recruitment is about accentuating strengths and insulating weaknesses, and Adams is a fascinating case study. From a tackling, battling and second-ball perspective, there are few better at this level. Technically, however, he remains one of the weaker midfielders in the division. Put bluntly, you do not want him on the ball unless he is winning it back or attacking a cross. That does not mean he can’t add value in the final third. Six goals last season, largely from set pieces, made a meaningful contribution to a Derby side that struggled for goals.
This looks like a quick fix for Portsmouth’s inertia in central midfield, but it places responsibility elsewhere. Adams’ partner, whether that is Andre Dozzell, Marlon Pack or someone new, will need to carry the burden in possession. Failing that, Portsmouth may simply lean further into a more direct, back-to-front approach built around Colby Bishop in their bid for survival.
