Daryl McMahon has landed his first signing of the summer with the capture of highly sought-after Gambian international midfielder Ebou Adams.
The 22-year-old is no stranger to Fleet fans, having played against us for Dartford and Leyton Orient in the recent past. McMahon made his move for Adams following the end of the player’s two-year contract at Norwich City and a loan spell at Brisbane Road, where he flourished in the National League.
The Greenwich-born box-to-box player turned out for Orpington as a youngster before joining Dartford’s Academy in 2012. He was on the fringes of the first team before a loan spell at Walton Casuals and he then made 16 appearances for the Darts in 2015/16, including an impressive display at Princes Park v the Fleet that season.
Norwich City paid Dartford a record received fee to land the talented prospect on a two-year contract in 2016 and he immediately turned out for their U23s. Loan spells at Braintree Town and Shrewsbury Town followed, for whom he played against the Fleet in last season’s pre-season friendly in Portugal, and he chalked up eight appearances for the League One promotion hopefuls. He also earned his first international cap, turning out for Gambia against Morocco.
Adams really caught the eye in his spell at Leyton Orient, who he joined on loan in January. Such were his combative performances for the O’s that both manager Justin Edinburgh and director of football Martin Ling were keen to sign the midfielder on a permanent basis this summer but McMahon made his move earlier this month, biding his time to sign a player much in demand.
The delighted Fleet boss, freshly returned from a much-needed holiday, told FleetOnline: “He’s had similar or better offers elsewhere but he likes what he’s seen here. He thinks we’re progressive as a club. He’s coming to us because he’s looked at our squad and how we performed last season and he thinks he’ll be a good fit. I think he’ll be a big player for us.”
There will be more reaction from the manager on the website later Friday afternoon.
