Che Adams

At 28 years old, Che Adams has this physical status:

Ché Zach Everton Fred Adams (born 13 July 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward or a midfielder for Premier League club Southampton.

He began his senior career in non-league football with Oadby Town and Ilkeston before moving into the Football League with Sheffield United in late 2014.

He made 47 League One appearances before signing for Birmingham in August 2016.

He represented England at under-20 level in 2015.

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Club career

Adams was born in Leicester, where he played football for Highfield Rangers as a youth. He began attending Coventry City's youth academy as a seven-year-old boy and was released at fourteen. He began playing youth football for Leicester club St Andrews before joining Oadby Town in 2012. Adams began playing for their youth team and made a briefing run in the United Counties League in 2012–13, of which 27 were in the starting eleven and scored five goals.

Adams earned a scholarship with Ilkeston's academy and helped their team win their section of the Football Conference Youth Alliance and progress to the second round of the 2013-2014 FA Youth Cup. In the Northern Premier League, he was still playing first-team football. Adams, who made his debut in November as a late substitute in a 3–1 victory over Stocksbridge Park Steels, was sent off for elbowing an opponent on Boxing Day and giving him his first senior goal for the club in 2006 – but he was fouled for the penalty kick that spelled Ilkeston's victory.

Adams started 2014-2015 in an exciting fashion, with "his pace, stamina, and dynamism [ed] the life out of Stourbridge for the remainder of the game" after he was fouled for a foul before scoring twice against Trafford. He continued in a similar vein: on the return to Stamford, Ilkeston's first and third goals were scored, he was fouled for the second, slid the ball home, and won by 4–0; against Ashton United and FC United of Manchester, he was resigned to his departure at the end of October, when 45 scouts were scheduled to watch him play his ninth goal of the season to add to 11 assists;

Sheffield United of League One defeated rival clubs in higher divisions on Monday to sign Adams on a two-year contract. The fee was officially undisclosed, but Sheffield Star reported it as a six-figure contract, and Ilkeston club announced "a substantial up-front payment in non-league terms" – plus a share of any sell-on fee." Adams made his professional debut on December 16th in a 1–0 home win over Southampton over Christmas, winning Jamal Campbell-Ryce at halftime as United made it to the semi-finals of the League Cup. In a 1–1 draw with Walsall at Bramall Lane four days later, he earned both his first career debut and his first Football League appearance.

Adams was replaced by Campbell-Ryce after 74 minutes in the League Cup semi-final second leg against Tottenham Hotspur on January 28, 2015. With two goals in less than two minutes, Sheffield United's first goal in 87 minutes would have been won 3–2 on aggregate, which would have brought the game to an end if Christian Eriksen did not score 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. Ryan Flynn was recalled for the final five minutes and scored an equalizer for a 5–5 draw in the play-off semi-final second leg away to Swindon Town on May 11th, but his team lost 7–6 on aggregate.

Adams scored for the first time in the league on August 15, 2015, a 2–0 win over Chesterfield, Sheffield United's first victory of the season, with both players scoring. He signed a new three-year contract at United with the option of an additional year ten days later. Adams scored twice in the first half of a 3–2 victory over Rochdale on October 10, and ten days later, he had another brace to beat Fleetwood Town 3–0, opening the scoring after 54 seconds. In the second round of the FA Cup, he was given a straight red card for a foul on Liam Kelly in a 1–0 victory at Oldham Athletic. Adams made himself a regular on the team, partnering striker Billy Sharp, but manager Nigel Adkins dropped him from the bench in March 2016 for not being active in training. He returned to action, scored 12 goals in all competitions, 11 from 36 in League One, and was named Young Player of the Year by the Sheffield Star.

Adams was involved in Sheffield United's inaugural fixture of the 2016-17 season, but a transfer request was accepted from Championship club Birmingham City shortly after, and the club's three-year deal was agreed on August 8, 2016. The fee was undisclosed, although the Sheffield Star announced it to be around £2 million and that United had turned down offers valued between £1.2 million and £1.7 million. The public believes that Ilkeston would profit by an estimated £300,000 in loans, and if no payment was forthcoming, the Northern Premier League suspended the club until the debts were settled, postponing their first four league fixtures.

In a 1–1 draw away from Wigan Athletic, Adams made his Birmingham debut on August 16th as a second-half substitute. He started the match at home to Wolverham Wanderers four days later and began scoring with a low angled shot across the goalkeeper, who by that time, Birmingham went on to lose 3–1. He played regularly in the first half of the season, but often as an impact substitute, and scored twice more, both times having come off the bench: a draw against Preston North End in September and a steadfast late winner against Bristol City in November. He returned to the starting lineup after losing by 4–0 at Newcastle United in December, when his hesitance in a defensive situation resulted in the second goal, but Rowett was back on the bench for the next game. According to the Birmingham Mail, the owners were "disgruntled" that several of Rowett's purchases, including Adams, were not allowed to play regularly.

Adams scored his first goal in three months in a losing cause away from Preston in mid-February, and was influential in Birmingham's victory over Wolves just days later. Rowett's replacement, Gianfranco Zola, knew the player's potential from the beginning, but was uncertain about his right position. Zola experimented with designs and personnel: he alternated Adams and Lukas Jutkiewicz as the lone striker, and after Clayton Donaldson returned to action, there was a brief period when Adams was not used at all. He started his visit to Brighton & Hove Albion, just behind Donaldson, and scored a goal that prompted both him and the Mail to keep him in the team.

Zola will be recalled by Harry Redknapp as the season comes to an end and relegation is imminent. Adams was fouled for a penalty that Jutkiewicz missed at home and was dismissed after 23 minutes for a two-footed tackle in the penultimate match. Birmingham gained, and the red card was rescinded on appeal, making him unavailable for the final match, away from Bristol City, which Birmingham must win to be sure of remaining up. Jutkiewicz led Adams through to Adams for the game's only goal after 16 minutes; he ditched the defense and launched a low shot past the goalkeeper. He appeared in 41 of a total of 44 league games and scored 7 goals, some way short of the 15 he had set himself, but the club's Young Player of the Season award went to him in 2003.

During the summer season, there was a lot of speculation around Adams. Derby County, operated by Gary Rowett, had a £3 million bid rejected and that the club turned down bids from Fulham first of £5 million and then of £10 million, which was due to the club's deadline date. He started a five-year contract in September on longer terms. Adams made his first senior hat-trick against Crawley Town in the EFL Cup in the 2017-18 season on the track. He strained his hamstring in his first match, and his second match back, a month later, he tore his other hamstring. On October 13th, he returned to the team to give Steve Cotterill a winning start as Birmingham boss at home to league-leaders Cardiff City. He "opted to face the visiting defense single-handed," according to BBC Sport's reporter. Adams put his head down and raced across four men in red before running to a decent right-foot shot that stunned Morrison before finding the right corner, according to Cardiff boss Neil Warnock, who said Adams' kick to an opponent's head while attempting a defensive clearance should have resulted in a penalty." When Adams' winning goal against Nottingham Forest in November, Birmingham's assistant manager, Lee Carsley, praised his execution but also reminded him that he's going to goalcoring positions more often. He missed the majority of December due to yet another hamstring injury, and Cotterill returned to the bench mainly from the bench.

Cotterill was promoted to as boss by Garry Monk, who brought both Adams and Jutkiewicz back to the starting eleven in a 4–4–2 arrangement, despite the team's poor showing at the bottom of the table. Adams' red card at Bolton was disrupted, this time not rescinded on appeal, but he returned to assist Jacques Maghoma's winning goal against Sheffield United and a goal against Fulham as Birmingham's safety was confirmed. Despite scoring only nine goals against Crawley, he ended the season as Birmingham's top scorer, including the hat-trick against Crawley.

He selected number 9 for the open squad ahead of the upcoming campaign. Adams got off to a rocky start in a 2–1 victory over Leeds United that saw no more before mid-October, but he didn't have three by mid-October. He went on a run and had ten by mid-December and had ten by mid-December. Monk emphasized the couple's growing friendship. Adams owed his success to intensive coaching from former striker James Beattie, to enhanced fitness training that made him feel fit in the later stages of a match, as well as a reminder from the boss that "he likes the fire in my stomach and not be hungry and be a nuisance for others." "It comes with rising, he's got more steel about him, he's got more of the steel around him, and he wants to physically challenge opponents."

In January, there was a lot of interest from Premier League clubs, but Birmingham did not want to sell, and no bid received was considered sufficient to force their hand because the player could not be promoted nor loaned back because of signing restrictions enforced by the EFL because the club was in breach of profitability and sustainability (P&S) legislation. Burnley's bid of £12 million was the highest ever reported. According to the Times, refusing to sell could mean a new breach of the P&S laws. By the end of the transfer window, he had 15 goals and six more in February made him the first Birmingham player to score 20 in a season since Steve Claridge in the 1994-95 Second Division championship run and named EFL Championship Player of the Month. According to the citation, "Adams has brought consistency, work rate, and team play to his game this season." He was named in the EFL's Championship Team of the Season and was nominated alongside Norwich City's Teemu Pukki and Sheffield United's Billy Sharp for their Championship Player of the Season award. Adams finished the season as Birmingham's top scorer with 22, despite a goal-drought in March. He received both Players' and Supporter of the Year Awards at the club's presentation night, though Jutkiewicz brought him close for the supporters' award and his goal in a 3–3 draw with Swansea City in January – was dubbed Goal of the Season.

Adams joined Southampton for a £15 million fee on July 1, 2019, extending his five-year deal. Adams won by 3–0 over Burnley on August 10th, his Premier League debut. Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhüttl told Adams that he preferred Adams to remain part of his scheme after being linked with a loan move to Leeds United as a replacement for Eddie Nketiah in the January 2020 transfer window. Southampton turned down a third bid for Adams, with Leeds head coach Marcelo Bielsa naming Adams as his principal target, but the option to buy Adams permanently for £20 million) was turned down.

Adams scored his first goal for Southampton on July 5, 2020, a 40-yard goal looping over the goalkeeper in a 1–0 victory over Manchester City. In a 2–0 victory over AFC Bournemouth, he scored his second week later to tie up the points. In Southampton's 3–1 win over his former team Sheffield United in the season finale on Sunday, he scored twice.

In a 3–3 draw with Chelsea, Adams scored his first goal of the 2020–21 season. In a 2–0 win over Everton a week earlier, his second came a week later. In a 2–0 victory over Newcastle United on Sunday, he scored in a 2–0 victory. He scored against Sheffield United again in December 2020, leading Southampton to a 3–0 victory. Adams was mistakenly kicked in the head by Craig Dawson during a West Ham United match, meaning he missed Southampton's match against Liverpool due to concussion. Adams did not score again until March 20, 2021, where he scored in three consecutive games against Sheffield United, Manchester City, and Brighton & Hove Albion. Adams also scored in Southampton's 3–1 victory over Crystal Palace on May 2121 and then 4 days later in a 3–1 victory over Fulham.

Adams scored his first goal of the 2021–22 season on October 26th, 2021, but Southampton were disqualified after Chelsea beat them 4–3 on penalties. Southampton defeated Watford 11-0, earning him their first Premier League victory of the season. He was nominated as a candidate for Goal of the Month for October. Adams scored in a 2–1 loss to Norwich City on November 20, and in a 2–2 draw with Leicester City on 1 December, the two teams tied. Adams was unable to play Tottenham Hotspur after receiving a positive test result for COVID-19; the test findings came back to Hasenhüttl at 10 p.m. the night.

International career

Adams, as well as Antigua and Barbuda, came from Antigua and Scotland through his maternal grandparents.

In October 2014, he was invited to participate in the Antigua and Barbuda squad for Caribbean Cup qualifiers, but he turned down. Adams was chosen in the squad for a National Challenge Trophy fixture in November, but he became ineligible when he joined Sheffield United. In early September 2015, he was called up to the England U20 squad for two games against the Czech Republic. He made his debut at St George's Park on September 5–0, replacing Tyler Walker for the final 17 minutes, and the second match, a 1–0 loss.

Adams was approached by the Scottish Football Association in 2017, first to discuss playing for Scotland U21 and then a senior friendly in November, but he wasn't able to commit himself at the time. Adams vowed to Scotland in March 2021, denying rumors that he would have been aiming for UEFA Euro 2020 was his sole motive, and he was selected for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Austria, Israel, and the Faroe Islands. In a 4–0 victory over the Faroe Islands, he made his first appearance on March 25 as a second-half replacement, scoring his first goal for Scotland six days later. Adams was selected in the delayed UEFA Euro 2020 squad, beginning twice, and becoming the first non-white footballer to play for the Scotland men's senior team in the Scotland men's senior team in the finals of a major tournament.

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