'Of course I recommended Portsmouth!': Former team-mates reunite at Fratton Park after five-year separation
The Pompey duo were previously on the same Forest Green Rovers side in League Two in May 2021
The last time they shared a dressing room was at Forest Green Rovers in the League Two play-off semi-finals.
Now, after a five-year absence, fate has conspired to bring Ebou Adams and Odin Bailey together once more, on this occasion with Pompey.
And having resumed their partnership, Adams is convinced his old team-mate will prove to be a Fratton Park hit.
Bailey became the Blues’ first signing of the summer after moving from Stockport County on a free transfer in June, bolstering John Mousinho’s midfield.
The 26-year-old had picked the brains of ex-Forest Green playing colleague Adams ahead of signing his three-year Pompey deal - and naturally was presented with a glowing recommendation.
And having previously been team-mates in the 2020-21 season with Rovers, they’re now reunited in the Championship.
‘Of course I recommended him coming here’
Adams told The News: ‘You’re going to like Odin, he will get you out of your seat.
‘He’s a very talented player, very skilful, two footed, very good at set-pieces, and someone I enjoyed playing with at Forest Green - so I’m happy to have him on board again.
‘In those days, he was a left wing at times and also played in the 10, which tells you how creative he is. He’s very good on the ball, he can find passes and will want to get on the ball a lot, he won’t shy away from it.
‘I also remember him scoring a very good goal at Grimsby (February 2020), so hopefully he can do that. We just need to give him the ball as much as we can, allowing him to create.
‘Odin messaged me before joining Pompey to see what it’s like. Of course I recommended him coming here! Mind you, it was the day before he signed, I think he was already committed!
‘We had a good relationship then and hopefully we can continue it. He’s a good guy.’
Reunited as team-mates against West Ham last weekend
Saturday’s Carabao Cup defeat at West Ham represented the first time since May 2021 that the duo had featured in a competitive game together as team-mates.
The previous occasion was a 4-3 victory over Newport County in a League Two play-off semi-final second leg with Forest Green - although they were still eliminated 5-4 on aggregate.
At that point, Bailey returned to parent club Birmingham and subsequently featured for Livingstone, Salford and Stockport.
With Stockport, he went on to reach the League One play-off final in successive seasons, only to lose in the Wembley showpiece on each occasion, most recently 4-1 to Bolton in May.
As for Adams, he remained at Rovers for another season, winning the League Two title in 2021-22 to earn automatic promotion alongside Exeter and Bristol Rovers.
Out of contract at that season’s end, he moved to Cardiff on a free, yet it wasn’t until a move to Derby, initially on loan, before he rediscovered his best form, including going up from League One as runners-up in 2023-24.
Then in January he joined Pompey - and seven months later Bailey followed him to Fratton Park.
Adams added: ‘Back then, there was a lot of expectation on Odin.
‘Coming from Birmingham, he made his debut quite early and would put a lot of pressure on himself to be at a certain place at a certain time - and it didn’t work out for him.
‘He’s still got time, he is still good enough to perform at this level - and even sneak into the Premier League.’