Ex-Derby County star spotted training after not playing football in 11 months | OneFootball

Malcolm Ebiowei was once a highly-rated youngster at Pride Park

Derby County supporters are currently in a wave of optimism heading towards the beginning of the 2026/27 Championship season, with John Eustace's side looking to build on an extremely respectable eighth-placed finish in the 46-year-old's first full term in the Pride Park dugout.

That said, there was a tinge of frustration on the final day of last season when a 2-1 home loss to Sheffield United, coupled with results elsewhere, meant that the East Midlands side were unable to compete in the post-season promotion lottery for the first time in seven years.

In those middling years between the play-off final loss to Aston Villa in May 2019 and now, Derby had flirted with potential extinction after financial mismanagement in the final years of Mel Morris' tenure as chairman, before the club were rescued from the brink by current owner and lifelong supporter, David Clowes.

Indeed, just four years ago, the Rams were relegated to League One for the first time in almost 40 years, largely due to the sanction of an overall 21 point deduction from the EFL, even though they were able to give themselves a fighting chance of remaining in the Championship under the joint-management of former England great, Wayne Rooney and now-Paris FC boss, Liam Rosenior.

Due to a lack of investment, plenty of academy graduates were thrust into the limelight at Pride Park during this period, including the likes of Eiran Cashin, Lee Buchanan, Louie Sibley, Jason Knight, Max Bird, Malcolm Ebiowei and Luke Plange.

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Many of the aforementioned names have gone on to have established careers in the EFL, while the latter duo, Ebiowei and Plange, were signed by Crystal Palace, before initially being loaned back to DE24.

However, it is fair to say that Ebiowei's career hasn't exactly taken off, with a new update emerging on his whereabouts.

Malcolm Ebiowei spotted in pre-season training with ex-West Brom winger Samuel Iling-Junior

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Indeed, the London-born winger has not been attached to any club for the past 10 months, having been signed by League One outfit, Blackpool, last August on a two-year contract, before a mutual termination of his deal was agreed after just four appearances in all competitions.

An exact reason for the 22-year-old's exit was not confirmed in the subsequent club statement, before former Tangerines boss, Steve Bruce, who was sacked just a matter of weeks afterward, explained: “There’s one or two personal issues, so we thought it was best that the boy went back home. We were mutual in that respect."

Beforehand, the man who signed a five-year deal with Palace in 2022 had spent time with the likes of Hull City, RWD Molenbeek and Oxford United in rather underwhelming loan stints, but has still clearly retained a drive to make a success of his professional career.

As such, he has recently featured on the Instagram profile of Aston Villa winger plus former West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough loanee, Samuel Iling-Junior, with one of the latter's latest pictures showcasing the pair at an unknown training facility.

The wide players were both teammates at England Under-20 level in 2022, and clearly appear to have built up a strong relationship over time.

Malcolm Ebiowei could become a successful free transfer this summer if the right club comes along

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After breaking onto the scene as a teenager with Derby, Ebiowei's career has hit an unfortunate lull in recent times, which is a shame given how highly-rated he'd become in such a short space of time.

It remains to be seen what the attacker's next career move is, but after the events at Blackpool, he will certainly look to make his next move with caution, in the hope that it can work out for all parties, but most importantly, for the betterment of his career.