Ché Zach Everton Fred Adams (born 13 July 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Torino and the Scotland national team.

Making his debut on 13 October as a very late substitute in a 3–2 win away to Stocksbridge Park Steels,[8][9] Adams made his first league start in November,[8] was sent off for elbowing an opponent on Boxing Day,[10] scored his first senior goal for the club to complete a 3–1 win away to Ashton United on 5 April – he "picked up a loose ball and made a fine run through midfield and provided a left foot finish despite [the goalkeeper's] best effort to make the block"[11] – and finished his season with the Derbyshire Senior Cup final, in which he was fouled for the penalty kick that made sure of Ilkeston's victory.

[15][16] 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;[17] against Ashton United and FC United of Manchester, he used strength and pace to take the ball from his own half to score;[18] and by the end of October, when 45 scouts were reported to be watching him score his ninth goal of the season to add to eleven assists,[19][20] Ilkeston's chairman was resigned to his departure.

[16] On 14 November 2014, Sheffield United of League One beat off competition from clubs in higher divisions to sign Adams on a two-year deal.

[25] In the League Cup semi-final second leg against Tottenham Hotspur on 28 January 2015 at Bramall Lane, Adams replaced Campbell-Ryce after 74 minutes.

In the play-off semi-final second leg away to Swindon Town 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.

[31] He was given a straight red card on 5 December in the second round of the FA Cup, for a foul on Liam Kelly in a 1–0 win at Oldham Athletic.

[32] Adams established himself as a regular in the team, partnering striker Billy Sharp,[33] but in March 2016 he was dropped to the bench by manager Nigel Adkins for not working hard in training.

[41] He started the next match, at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers 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.

[42] 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 in September, and a determined late winner against Bristol City in November.

[43][44] He returned to the starting eleven for a 4–0 defeat away at Newcastle United in December, in which his hesitancy in a defensive situation led to the second goal,[45] but was back on the bench for the next fixture, after which Rowett was sacked.

In the penultimate match, at home to Huddersfield Town, Adams was fouled for a penalty that Jutkiewicz missed, and was then sent off after 23 minutes for a two-footed tackle.

[52] 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 campaign – he also made three assists and won "nearly twice as many" penalties[53] – earned him the club's Young Player of the Season award.

[53][59] He returned to the team to give Steve Cotterill a winning start as Birmingham manager at home to league-leaders Cardiff City on 13 October.

[61] After Adams' winning goal against Nottingham Forest in November, Birmingham's assistant manager, Lee Carsley, praised his finishing while reminding him that he needed to get into goalscoring positions more often.

[63][25] With the team struggling at the foot of the table, Cotterill was replaced as manager by Garry Monk, who brought both Adams and Jutkiewicz back into the starting eleven in a 4–4–2 formation.

[85] After being linked with a loan move to Leeds United as a replacement for Eddie Nketiah in the January 2020 transfer window,[86] Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhüttl advised that he wanted Adams to remain part of his plans.

[92] During a game with West Ham United, Adams was accidentally kicked in the head by Craig Dawson, which saw him miss Southampton's match with Liverpool due to concussion.

[112] 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 amid transfer speculation.

[119] 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.

[124] 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,[125] and started the second match, a 1–0 defeat.

[126] Adams was approached by the Scottish Football Association 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.

[120] In March 2021, Adams committed his allegiance to Scotland, denying reports that the prospect of featuring at UEFA Euro 2020 was his sole motivation,[127][128] and was called up for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Austria, Israel and the Faroe Islands.

[135] He started the opening match of the tournament against Germany, but was substituted at half-time for defender Grant Hanley after Ryan Porteous had been red carded for the Scots.