One major Derby County transfer deal came close to collapsing this summer.
The Rams have endured a solid 2024/25 Championship campaign so far, despite the 2-1 defeat against Stoke City at the weekend.
Particularly at home, Derby County have been difficult to break down and a lot of that falls on the current midfield options signed by Paul Warne in the summer.
Derby County’s midfield was revolutionised this summer, with several names joining. Kenzo Goudmijn and David Ozoh were two signings who made an instant impact at Pride Park, although the latter now remains sidelined due to injury concerns.
Ben Osborn and Ebou Adams have also been incredible options for Warne to have since they joined the club.
Adams in particular was a player that the Rams were always going to be interested in this summer after his superb loan spell in the back end of the 2023/24 promotion-winning League One season, however such a deal came close to breaking down in the summer.
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Paul Warne and CEO open up on Ebou Adams Derby County deal that almost broke down
Derby County’s man in the centre-of-the-park has already been a very important player for Warne, and the manager certainly made the correct decision to pursue a permanent deal for the Gambian in the summer after his loan deal in Derbyshire expired.
Warne has reflected on the transfer situation surrounding Adams, why it took so long to come into fruition and how it nearly broke down.
Per Derbyshire Live, Warne said: “We always wanted to sign him [Adams].
“I was entitled to be in contact with him because he was now my friend. I had his number and I wasn’t doing anything illegal. I was speaking to him, making sure everything was all right, finding out how his missus was and had he decided what he was doing yet.
“We obviously had a few conversations like that, but he was Cardiff’s player, and you have to be respectful about what you say in the press. I even got told there was a Twitter page saying, ‘Please sign,’ which was a disaster for us because Cardiff would see it and think, ‘we are cooking here; they will pay whatever because they are desperate’.
“We had to play it a little bit coy in that we were interested but not that bothered. That’s how negotiations go. It took a lot longer than we wanted it to because we never wanted to show our hand. We didn’t want to spend more than we had to because it stops you from doing other stuff so it did go on for a long period of time.
“We knew there was a point we wouldn’t go any further and we went past that twice. We ended up doing it just before we went away. But we knew in the last week that we were virtually there. It was just a bit of toing and froing, an extra 50p here and things like that.”
Chief executive Stephen Pearce added: “You get to a point where you end up just walking away. We did get to that point but that’s when it all clicked into place and they just thought they are serious now. We got to that limit where we wouldn’t go any further. But it all just clicked then.”
Ebou Adams has been the difference between mid-table and relegation scrap for Derby County
Many players in the midfield have been nothing short of exceptional, with Goudmijn in particular proving to be a special player after notching a few important goals at the early stages of this season.
However, since the injury sustained by Ozoh, Adams has been crucial in providing Warne an option that will offer extra defensive security when sitting in front of Eiran Cashin and Curtis Nelson at the back.
Without Adams, the Derby County midfield would be more-than light and whilst Goudmijn and Osborn have the playmaking qualities in the centre-of-the-park, they lack that strength and demanding presence that Adams luckily offers, which gives the more attacking players a licence to get further forward.