Ché Adams
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Ché Zach Everton Fred Adams (born 13 July 1996) is a professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who plays as a forward for club
Torino Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...
and the Scotland national team. Adams began his senior career in
non-league football Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...
with Oadby Town and
Ilkeston Ilkeston ( ) is a town located in the Borough of Erewash in Derbyshire, England, with a population of 40,953 at the 2021 census. Its major industries, coal mining, iron working and lace making/textiles, have now all but disappeared. Part of t ...
before moving into
the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...
with
Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...
in late 2014. He made 47 League One appearances before signing for
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
club
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
in August 2016. After three seasons with Birmingham, he moved to Southampton in July 2019. Adams represented his native England at under-20 level in 2015. He qualifies for Scotland by descent and made his senior debut in 2021. At
UEFA Euro 2020 The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the Anniversary#Latin-derived numerical names, quadrennial international men's association footb ...
he became the first non-white player to play for Scotland at the finals of a major tournament.


Club career


Early career

Adams was born in
Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
, where he played football as a youngster for Highfield Rangers. He joined
Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Coventry, West Midlands. The club plays in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club is nicknamed The Sky Blues after the sky blue colou ...
's youth academy as a seven-year-old, and was released at fourteen. He then played youth football for Leicester club
St Andrews St Andrews (; ; , pronounced ʰʲɪʎˈrˠiː.ɪɲ is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fourth-largest settleme ...
before joining Oadby Town in 2012. Initially playing for their youth team, Adams soon moved into the first team; over the 2012–13 season, the sixteen-year-old made 33 appearances for Oadby in the
United Counties League The United Counties League (also known after its sponsor as the ''GCE Hire Fleet Ltd. United Counties League'') is an England, English association football, football league covering an area including the English Counties of the United Kingdom, ...
, of which 27 were in the starting eleven, and scored five goals.For United Counties League and Knockout Cup: Adams took up a scholarship with
Ilkeston Ilkeston ( ) is a town located in the Borough of Erewash in Derbyshire, England, with a population of 40,953 at the 2021 census. Its major industries, coal mining, iron working and lace making/textiles, have now all but disappeared. Part of t ...
's academy, and helped their team win their section of the Football Conference Youth Alliance and reach the second round proper of the 2013–14 FA Youth Cup. He was also playing first-team football in the
Northern Premier League The Northern Premier League is an English Association football, football league that was founded in 1968. Together with the Isthmian League and the Southern Football League, Southern League it forms levels seven and eight of the English footba ...
. Making his debut on 13 October as a very late substitute in a 3–2 win away to Stocksbridge Park Steels, Adams made his first league start in November, was sent off for elbowing an opponent on Boxing Day, scored his first senior goal for the club to complete a 3–1 win away to Ashton United on 5 Aprilhe "picked up a loose ball and made a fine run through midfield and provided a left foot finish despite he goalkeeper'sbest effort to make the block"and finished his season with the
Derbyshire Senior Cup The Derbyshire County FA Senior Cup is a local county football cup for teams based in the county of Derbyshire. Founded in 1883–1884, the first competition was won by Staveley, who beat Derby Midland 2–1 in the final. 1885–1886 saw Heeley ...
final, in which he was fouled for the
penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...
that made sure of Ilkeston's victory. After Adams began 2014–15 in impressive fashionintroduced after 64 minutes of the second match of the season, "his pace, power and energy scar dthe life out of Stourbridge for the remainder of the game" as he provided two assists and was fouled for a penalty, before scoring twice in the next match, against
Trafford Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England, with an estimated population of in . It covers and includes the area of Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford and the towns of Altrincham, Stretford, Urmston, Partington and Sa ...
Ilkeston signed him to a one-year contract. He continued in similar vein: away to Stamford, Ilkeston's first and third goals were scored on the rebound when Adams' shots were parried, he was fouled for the free kick that led to the second, and "picked the ball up 35 yards out, beat a defender with ease and slid the ball home" to complete a 4–0 win; against Ashton United and
FC United of Manchester Football Club United of Manchester, more commonly known as FC United, is a semi-professional football club based in Moston, Manchester, England, that competes in the , the seventh tier of the English football league system, and plays home m ...
, he used strength and pace to take the ball from his own half to score; and by the end of October, when 45
scouts Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...
were reported to be watching him score his ninth goal of the season to add to eleven assists, Ilkeston's chairman was resigned to his departure.


Sheffield United

On 14 November 2014,
Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...
of League One beat off competition from clubs in higher divisions to sign Adams on a two-year deal. The fee was officially undisclosed, but the ''
Sheffield Star ''The Star'', often known as the ''Sheffield Star'', is a daily newspaper published in Sheffield, England, from Monday to Saturday each week. Originally a broadsheet, the newspaper became a tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid in 1993. ''The Sta ...
'' reported it as a six-figure deal, and the Ilkeston club confirmed "a substantial up-front payment in non-league termsplus a percentage of any sell-on fee." Adams made his professional senior debut on 16 December in a 1–0 home victory over
Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
, replacing Jamal Campbell-Ryce at half-time as United made it to the semi-finals of the League Cup. Four days later, he made both his first career start and his first
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
appearance in a 1–1 draw with
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
at
Bramall Lane Bramall Lane is a association football, football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United. The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramall ...
. In the League Cup semi-final second leg against
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
on 28 January 2015 at Bramall Lane, Adams replaced Campbell-Ryce after 74 minutes. Five minutes later he had scored his first goals for Sheffield United with two goals in just over two minutes, which would have taken the game to extra time had
Christian Eriksen Christian Dannemann Eriksen (; born 14 February 1992) is a Danish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Manchester United F.C., Manchester United and the Denmark national football team, ...
not scored for Tottenham Hotspur in the 88th minute to win 3–2 on aggregate. Adams made ten appearances as Sheffield United finished the season in the League One play-off places. In the play-off semi-final second leg away to
Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded as Swindon A ...
on 11 May, he replaced Ryan Flynn for the final five minutes and scored an equaliser for a 5–5 draw, but his team lost 7–6 on aggregate. Adams scored for the first time in the league on 15 August 2015, with both goals in a 2–0 win at home to Chesterfield which was Sheffield United's first win of the season. Ten days later, he signed a new three-year deal at United with the option of an extra year. On 10 October, Adams scored twice in the first half of a 3–2 win over
Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...
, and ten days later he got another brace to defeat Fleetwood Town 3–0, opening the scoring after 54 seconds. He was given a straight red card on 5 December in the second round of the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
, for a foul on Liam Kelly in a 1–0 win at
Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...
. Adams established himself as a regular in the team, partnering striker
Billy Sharp Billy Louis Sharp (born 5 February 1986) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Doncaster Rovers. Sharp has played for Sheffield United, Rushden & Diamonds, Scunthorpe United, Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Re ...
, but in March 2016 he was dropped to the bench by manager
Nigel Adkins Nigel Howard Adkins (born 11 March 1965) is an English professional football manager and former footballer and physiotherapist. He was most recently the manager and technical director at Tranmere Rovers. Adkins played as a goalkeeper for Tran ...
for not working hard in training. He soon returned, finished the season with 12 goals from 41 appearances in all competitions, 11 from 36 in League One, and was named by the ''Sheffield Star'' as its Young Player of the Year.


Birmingham City


2016–17 season

Amid considerable transfer speculation, Adams played in Sheffield United's opening fixture of the 2016–17 season, but a bid was accepted from
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
club
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
shortly afterwards, and he signed a three-year contract with the club on 8 August 2016. The fee was undisclosed, although the ''Sheffield Star'' reported it to be around £2 million, and that United had turned down deals valued at £1.2 million and £1.7 million. Publicity surrounding the deal caused problems for the Ilkeston club: creditors believing that Ilkeston would benefit by an estimated £300,000 called in their debts, and when no payment was immediately forthcoming, the Northern Premier League suspended the club until the debts were settled, causing the postponement of their first four league fixtures. Adams made his Birmingham debut on 16 August, as a second-half substitute in a 1–1 draw away to
Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...
. He started the next match, at home to
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
four days later, and opened the scoring with a low angled shot across the goalkeeper; he played 61 minutes, by which time manager Gary Rowett thought he "looked like he had run out of steam", as Birmingham went on to lose 3–1. He played regularly through the first half of the season, though often as an impact substitute, and scored twice more, both times having come off the bench: to earn a draw against
Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...
in September, and a determined late winner against
Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...
in November. He returned to the starting eleven for a 4–0 defeat away at
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
in December, in which his hesitancy in a defensive situation led to the second goal, but was back on the bench for the next fixture, after which Rowett was sacked. The ''
Birmingham Mail The ''Birmingham Mail'' (branded the ''Black Country Mail'' in the Black Country and ''Birmingham Live'' online) is a tabloid newspaper based in Birmingham, England, but distributed around Birmingham, the Black Country, and Solihull and parts ...
'' suggested that the owners were "disgruntled" that several of Rowett's purchases, Adams included, were not regularly starting matches. Adams scored his first goal for three months in a losing cause away to Preston in mid-February, and was influential as Birmingham beat Wolves a few days later.
Gianfranco Zola Gianfranco Zola (; born 5 July 1966) is an Italian football executive, Manager (association football), manager, and former Association football, footballer who played predominantly as a Forward (association football), forward. He is currently v ...
, Rowett's successor, had recognised the player's potential from the start, but was unsure of his best position. As results failed to improve, Zola experimented with formations and personnel: he alternated Adams and Lukas Jutkiewicz as lone striker, and once
Clayton Donaldson Clayton Andrew Donaldson (born 7 February 1984) is a former professional Association football, footballer and Manager (association football), manager who played as a Striker (association football), striker. He is Head of Development at York Cit ...
returned to fitness, there was a short spell when Adams was not used at all. He started the visit to
Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, commonly referred to as Brighton, is a professional football club based in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Their home gr ...
, playing just behind Donaldson, and scored a goal that both he and the ''Mail'' hoped would keep him in the team. With three matches left in the season, and relegation increasingly likely, Zola quit, to be replaced by
Harry Redknapp Henry James Redknapp (born 2 March 1947) is an English former association football, football manager (association football), manager and player. He has previously managed AFC Bournemouth, West Ham United F.C., West Ham United, Portsmouth F.C., ...
. In the penultimate match, at home to
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football. Huddersfield Town we ...
, Adams was fouled for a penalty that Jutkiewicz missed, and was then sent off after 23 minutes for a two-footed tackle. Birmingham still won, and the red card was rescinded on appeal, making him available for the final fixture, away to
Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...
, which Birmingham had to win to be sure of staying up. After 16 minutes, Jutkiewicz played Adams through; he held off the defence and placed a low shot past the goalkeeper for the only goal of the game. He appeared in 40 of a possible 44 league matches and scored 7 goals, some way short of the target of 15 that he had set himself, but his contribution over the campaignhe also made three assists and won "nearly twice as many" penaltiesearned him the club's Young Player of the Season award.


2017–18 season

Considerable transfer speculation surrounded Adams during the summer window. It was reported that Derby County, managed by Gary Rowett, had a £3 million offer rejected and that the club turned down bids from Fulham first of £5 million and then, on deadline day, of £10 million. In September, he signed a five-year contract on improved terms. On the field, Adams began the 2017–18 season with his first senior
hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
, against
Crawley Town Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1896 as Crawley Foo ...
in the
EFL Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...
. In his next match, he injured a hamstring, and in his second match back, a month later, he damaged his other hamstring. He returned to the team to give
Steve Cotterill Stephen John Cotterill (born 20 July 1964) is an English coach and former player who is currently the manager of National League side Forest Green Rovers. Cotterill, a striker, had a nine-year career as a footballer playing for Burton Albio ...
a winning start as Birmingham manager at home to league-leaders
Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...
on 13 October. According to
BBC Sport BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC BBC Television, television, BBC Radio, radio and BBC Online, online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadc ...
's reporter, he "opted to take on the visiting defence single-handed. He put his head down and ran, slicing his way past four men in red before cutting inside to drill a low, curled right-foot shot which nutmegged Morrison before finding the right corner"; Cardiff manager
Neil Warnock Neil Warnock (born 1 December 1948) is an English football manager and former player who is currently football advisor at Torquay United. He is also a television and radio pundit. In a managerial career spanning five decades, Warnock has managed ...
said that Adams' kick to an opponent's head while attempting a defensive clearance should have resulted in a penalty. After Adams' winning goal against
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...
in November, Birmingham's assistant manager, Lee Carsley, praised his finishing while reminding him that he needed to get into goalscoring positions more often. He missed most of December with yet another hamstring injury, and Cotterill used him mainly from the bench when he did return. With the team struggling at the foot of the table, Cotterill was replaced as manager by
Garry Monk Garry Alan Monk (born 6 March 1979) is an English football manager and former professional player who was most recently the head coach of club Cambridge United. Monk, a centre back, began his playing career with Torquay United before joining ...
, who brought both Adams and Jutkiewicz back into the starting eleven in a 4–4–2 formation. The pairing was disrupted by Adams' red card at Boltonthis time not rescinded on appeal but he returned to provide the assist for Jacques Maghoma's winning goal against Sheffield United and a goal in the final fixture against Fulham as Birmingham's safety was confirmed. He finished the season as Birmingham's top scorer, albeit with just 9 goals, including the hat-trick against Crawley.


2018–19 season

Ahead of the coming campaign, he chose to take over the vacant
squad number In team sports, the number, often referred to as the uniform number, squad number, jersey number, shirt number, sweater number, or similar (with such naming differences varying by sport and region) is the number worn on a player's uniform, to id ...
9. Still in partnership with Jutkiewicz, Adams made a slow start: he scored both goals in a 2–1 win away to
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
, but still only had three by mid-October. He then went on a run and had ten by mid-December. Monk highlighted the growing relationship between the pair. Adams attributed his improvement to intensive coaching from former striker James Beattie, to improved fitness training that meant he still felt strong in the later stages of a match, and to a reminder from the manager before the visit to Leeds that "he wanted that fire in my belly and just be hungrier and be a nuisance for other people." According to Jutkiewicz, "it comes with growing up, he's got more of that steel about him and wants to physically impose himself on opponents and you can see that difference." There was considerable interest from Premier League clubs in January, but Birmingham did not want to sell, and no offer received was considered enough to force their hand given that the player could neither be replaced nor loaned back because of signing restrictions imposed by the EFL because the club were in breach of profitability and sustainability (P&S) rules. A bid of £12 million from
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
was the highest reported. ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' suggested that the refusal to sell might constitute a further aggravated breach of the P&S rules. He had 15 goals by the end of the transfer window, and another 6 in February made him the first Birmingham player to score 20 in a season since
Steve Claridge Stephen Edward Claridge (born 10 April 1966) is an English football pundit, coach and former professional player who is the manager of Fleetlands. He was a pundit for BBC Sport football shows including ''Football Focus'' and ''The Football Leag ...
in the 1994–95 Second Division-winning season and saw him named EFL Championship Player of the Month. The citation for that award noted that "Adams has added consistency, work rate and team play to his game this season." He was named in the EFL's Championship Team of the Season and nominated, alongside Norwich City's
Teemu Pukki Teemu Eino Antero Pukki (born 29 March 1990) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Veikkausliiga club HJK and the Finland national team. Pukki began his career with KTP and made his debut on senior level on 23 June ...
and Sheffield United's
Billy Sharp Billy Louis Sharp (born 5 February 1986) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Doncaster Rovers. Sharp has played for Sheffield United, Rushden & Diamonds, Scunthorpe United, Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Re ...
, for their Championship Player of the Season award. Despite a goal-drought in March, Adams finished the season as Birmingham's top scorer with 22, all scored in the Championship. He won both Players' and Supporters' Player of the Year Awards at the club's presentation night, although Jutkiewicz ran him close for the supporters' award, and his goal in a 3–3 draw with
Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club ( ; ) is a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. It competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Swansea have played their home matches at ...
in Januaryhe "curled in a beauty from 20 yards" as Birmingham came from behind to take the leadwas named Goal of the Season.


Southampton


2019–20 season

On 1 July 2019, Adams joined
Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
for a fee reported to be £15 million, signing a five-year contract. Adams made his
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
debut on 10 August in a 3–0 defeat against
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
. After being linked with a loan move to
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
as a replacement for
Eddie Nketiah Edward Keddar Nketiah (born 30 May 1999) is an English professional association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for club Crystal Palace F.C., Crystal Palace and the England national football team, Eng ...
in the January 2020 transfer window, Southampton manager
Ralph Hasenhüttl Ralph Hasenhüttl (; born 9 August 1967) is an Austrian professional football manager and former player who was most recently the manager of VfL Wolfsburg. During his playing career, he played as a centre forward. As a manager, he has developed ...
advised that he wanted Adams to remain part of his plans. On 22 January 2020, with Leeds head coach
Marcelo Bielsa Marcelo Alberto Bielsa Caldera (, nicknamed ''El Loco Bielsa'' , meaning 'The Madman Bielsa'; born 21 July 1955) is an Argentine professional Association football, football manager who is the current manager of the Uruguay national football team ...
making Adams his main target, Southampton rejected a third offer for Adams, the offer (believed to be a loan fee plus the option to buy Adams permanently for £20 million) was rejected. On 5 July 2020, Adams scored his first goal for Southampton, a 40-yard effort looping over the goalkeeper in a 1–0 victory over
Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
. He scored his second two weeks later to wrap up the points in a 2–0 win away to
AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...
. He then scored twice in Southampton's 3–1 victory over his former club Sheffield United in the season finale on 26 July 2020.


2020–21 season

Adams scored his first goal of the 2020–21 season on 17 October 2020 in a 3–3 draw with Chelsea. His second came a week later in a 2–0 victory over Everton. On 6 November, he scored in a 2–0 win against
Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
. In December 2020, he scored against Sheffield United again, helping Southampton to a 3–0 victory. During a game with
West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
, Adams was accidentally kicked in the head by
Craig Dawson Craig Dawson (born 6 May 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Wolverhampton Wanderers. He has previously played for Radcliffe Borough, Bolton Wanderers, Rochdale, West Bromwich Albion, Watford and We ...
, which saw him miss Southampton's match with
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
due to
concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...
. Adams did not score again until 6 March 2021, where he scored in three successive games against Sheffield United, Manchester City and
Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, commonly referred to as Brighton, is a professional football club based in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Their home gr ...
. Adams also scored in Southampton's 3–1 victory against
Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...
on 11 May 2021 and then four days later in a 3–1 victory over
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
.


2021–22 season

Adams scored his first goal of the 2021–22 season on 26 October 2021 in the
EFL Cup The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England. Orga ...
, but Southampton were knocked out after Chelsea beat them 4–3 on penalties. Four days later, his first Premier League goal of the season earned Southampton a 1–0 victory against
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
at
Vicarage Road Vicarage Road is a stadium in Watford, England, and is the home stadium of EFL Championship, Championship club Watford F.C., Watford. An all-seater stadium, its current capacity is 22,200. History It has been the home of Watford since 1922, w ...
and was nominated as a contender for Goal of the Month for October. Adams scored in a 2–1 defeat to
Norwich City Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...
on 20 November, and in a 2–2 draw with
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
on 1 December. Adams was unable to face
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
on 28 December after testing positive for
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
; the test result reached Hasenhüttl at 10pm the night before the game.


2022–23 season

On 20 August 2022, Adams scored his first two goals of the 2022–23 season in a 1–2 victory against
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
after coming on as a substitute for
Sékou Mara Sékou Mara (born 30 July 2002) is a French professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for club RC Strasbourg Alsace, Strasbourg. Club career Bordeaux Mara made his professional de ...
in the 59th minute. Three days later, Adams scored another brace in a 0–3 victory against
Cambridge United Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They currently compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed the U’s, the club h ...
in the EFL Cup. His next goal would not come until 19 October 2022 in a 0–1 victory against Bournemouth, which helped Southampton to their first victory in six games. Adams scored in a 3–1 defeat to Liverpool on 12 November 2022. Adams scored another brace in the EFL Cup on 21 December 2022 in a 2–1 victory against Lincoln City. On 31 January 2023, Adams scored in the EFL Cup semi-final second leg against Newcastle United, but Southampton lost 3–1 on aggregate. On 18 March 2023, Adams scored his final goal of the season in a 3–3 draw with Tottenham Hotspur. With Adams picking up an injury whilst on international duty, manager
Rubén Sellés Rubén Sellés Salvador (born 15 June 1983) is a Spanish professional Manager (association football), football manager who is the manager of club Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United. Sellés has also managed Southampton F.C., Southampton ...
stated that he did expect Adams to return from injury until the end of April. After featuring against Bournemouth, Newcastle and
Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Founde ...
, Sellés confirmed that Adams had felt more pain in his ankle which kept him out for the remainder of the season.


2023–24 season

On 4 August 2023, Adams scored his first goal of the season in a 1–2 victory against
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...
after replacing Adam Armstrong in the 79th minute. Despite scoring in Southampton's three opening league games of the season, he was absent from the squad during a 2–1 victory against
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
amid transfer speculation. However, Adams remained at the club following the transfer window after Southampton blocked a move. He ended the season with 18 goals in all competitions.


Torino

On 23 July 2024, Adams joined Italian club
Torino Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...
on a three-year contract. On his second appearance in
Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
, he assisted Ivan Ilić's equalising goal and scored the winner himself as Torino beat
Atalanta Atalanta (; ) is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia (region), Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene (mythology), Clymene and who is primarily known from the tales of the Caly ...
2–1.


International career

Adams was eligible to represent England, his country of birth, as well as
Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda is a Sovereign state, sovereign archipelagic country composed of Antigua, Barbuda, and List of islands of Antigua and Barbuda, numerous other small islands. Antigua and Barbuda has a total area of 440 km2 (170 sq mi), ...
his father came from
Antigua Antigua ( ; ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the local population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the most populous island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua ...
and Scotland, via his late maternal grandmother who moved to Leicester in her early thirties. He was invited to join the Antigua and Barbuda squad for Caribbean Cup qualifiers in October 2014, but declined. England C, the team that represents the country at semi-professional level, named Adams in the squad for an International Challenge Trophy fixture in November, but he became ineligible when he turned professional with Sheffield United. He was called up to the
England U20 England national under-20 football team, also known as England Under-20s or England U20(s) or England Men's Elite Squad, represents England in association football at an under-20 age level and is controlled by the Football Association, the gov ...
squad for two matches against the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
in early September 2015. He made his debut on 5 September in a 5–0 win at St George's Park, replacing Tyler Walker for the final 17 minutes, and started the second match, a 1–0 defeat. Adams was approached by the
Scottish Football Association The Scottish Football Association (; also known as the Scottish FA and the SFA) is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA incl ...
in 2017, initially to consider playing for Scotland U21, and later for a senior friendly in November, but was not willing to commit himself at that time.
In March 2021, Adams committed his allegiance to Scotland, denying reports that the prospect of featuring at
UEFA Euro 2020 The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the Anniversary#Latin-derived numerical names, quadrennial international men's association footb ...
was his sole motivation, and was called up for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers against
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
,
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
and the
Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...
. He made his debut as a second-half substitute on 25 March against Austria, and scored his first goal for Scotland six days later in a 4–0 victory over the Faroe Islands. Adams was named in the 26-man squad for the delayed UEFA Euro 2020 competition, He played in all three of Scotland's group matches, starting twice, and became the first non-white footballer to play for the Scotland men's senior team in the finals of a major tournament. On 7 June 2024, Adams was named in Scotland's squad for the
UEFA Euro 2024 The 2024 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2024 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2024) or simply Euro 2024, was the 17th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international Association football, football champ ...
finals in Germany. He started the opening match of the tournament against
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, but was substituted at half-time for defender Grant Hanley after
Ryan Porteous Ryan Thomas Porteous (born 25 March 1999) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Watford and the Scotland national team. He has previously played for Hibernian and spent a spell on loan at Edinburgh City, a ...
had been red carded for the Scots. He went on to start against both
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
and
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
as Scotland finished bottom of
Group A Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived touring cars for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles wer ...
with one point from three matches.


Style of play

Manager Kevin Wilson of Adams' former club Ilkeston described Adams as having "pace in abundance, but he's really powerful too" and said that "his biggest asset is that knack of changing games in the blink of an eye".


Career statistics


Club


International

:''As of match played 9 June 2025. Scotland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Adams goal.


Honours

Oadby Town * Battle of Britain Charity Cup: 2012–13 Ilkeston *
Derbyshire Senior Cup The Derbyshire County FA Senior Cup is a local county football cup for teams based in the county of Derbyshire. Founded in 1883–1884, the first competition was won by Staveley, who beat Derby Midland 2–1 in the final. 1885–1886 saw Heeley ...
: 2013–14 Southampton *
EFL Championship play-offs The English Football League (EFL) Championship play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by the association football teams finishing from third to sixth in the EFL Championship table and are part of the English Football League play-o ...
:
2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
Individual *
Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...
Young Player of the Season: 2015–16 * ''
Sheffield Star ''The Star'', often known as the ''Sheffield Star'', is a daily newspaper published in Sheffield, England, from Monday to Saturday each week. Originally a broadsheet, the newspaper became a tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid in 1993. ''The Sta ...
'' Young Player of the Season: 2015–16 *
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
Young Player of the Season: 2016–17 * Birmingham City Supporters' Player of the Season: 2018–19 * Birmingham City Players' Player of the Season: 2018–19 * Birmingham City Goal of the Season: 2018–19 * Serie A Goal of the Month: December 2024 *
Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
Team of the Season: 2024–25


See also

* List of Scotland international footballers born outside Scotland * List of sportspeople who competed for more than one nation


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Che 1996 births Living people Scottish people of Antigua and Barbuda descent English people of Antigua and Barbuda descent Sportspeople of Antigua and Barbuda descent English people of Scottish descent Black British sportsmen 21st-century Black British people Footballers from Leicester Scottish men's footballers English men's footballers Men's association football forwards Highfield Rangers F.C. players Coventry City F.C. players Leicester St Andrews F.C. players GNG Oadby Town F.C. players Ilkeston F.C. players Sheffield United F.C. players Birmingham City F.C. players Southampton F.C. players Torino FC players United Counties League players Northern Premier League players English Football League players Premier League players Serie A players England men's youth international footballers Scotland men's international footballers UEFA Euro 2020 players UEFA Euro 2024 players English expatriate men's footballers English expatriate sportspeople in Italy Scottish expatriate men's footballers Scottish expatriate sportspeople in Italy Expatriate men's footballers in Italy 21st-century English sportsmen 21st-century Scottish sportsmen