What happened to Liverpool star sold for £15m but left next three clubs for free – Footymercato.com

It has been almost a decade since Jordon Ibe left Liverpool to join Bournemouth – but the 28-year-old is now plying his trade in non-league after returning to football in October.

Ibe signed for the Reds in December 2011 aged just 16 after bursting on to the scene in League One at Wycombe. The winger initially teamed up with the club’s Under 18s, before breaking into the first-team set up and making his debut on the final day of the 2012/13 season against QPR.

After spending time out on loan at Birmingham City and Derby, Ibe returned to Anfield and cemented himself as a regular in the senior squad under Brendan Rodgers and then Jurgen Klopp. During the 2015/16 campaign, Ibe scored four times and grabbed four assists in 41 matches and featured in every round en route to the EFL Cup final, a game in which Liverpool lost to Manchester City on penalties.

However, in the summer of 2016 – in search for even more opportunities. he decided to leave Liverpool for Bournemouth for a club-record £15million fee. But the Bermondsey-born forward struggled for form in his first season on the south coast, and finished the campaign having failed to score in 26 appearances.

In fact, Ibe didn’t score his first Bournemouth goal until January 2018 in a 2-1 victory over Arsenal. He ended the campaign on two goals and eight assists in 38 matches – a slight uptick on his debut season. But that was as good as it got for him at the Cherries. And although he increased his tally to three goals the following season, he earned just 24 appearances in all competitions and wasn’t a regular in the squad.

Ibe was released by Bournemouth in June 2020 when his contract expired. It didn’t take him long to return to football though, signing for former club Derby on a two-year deal in the September. But he made only one first-team appearance for the Rams and spoke in January 2021 about suffering with depression.

“I want to apologise to all my fans around the world,” Ibe wrote on Instagram at the time. “I find myself in a dark place, due to suffering with depression.

“It’s no scheme for the media or to have my name in your mouths, I just find things hard truly. I appreciate all the love and messages from everyone. Times are hard in general due to this pandemic. I have the full support from my family and Derby County football club.

“I will fix myself and this situation, which I’m 100 per cent committed to. Not only for my family, close friends or my beauteous daughter but for me.”

Derby cancelled Ibe’s contract at the end of the season and he was without a club for over six months, before returning to join Adanaspor. He didn’t make an appearance for the Turkish second-tier outfit and spent over a year out of the game, only for National League Ebbsfleet to confirm his arrival in October.

Speaking after his move to the Kent club, Ibe said: “I just want to get back out there, show people what I can do again and play football. I’ve worked hard to be in a position where I am able to focus on football and believe in myself and my ability to contribute on the pitch.

“Being back out there is where I love to be and where I’m most happy but I needed to be healthy and prepared to give myself that chance. The way Ebbsfleet have helped me and put a process in place so I can be ready has been really supportive.

“I came in and have had to back myself and prove I’m here to succeed to earn my chance. The gaffer and staff have built up my fitness to the point where I’m ready to go with a ball and I’m really pleased to be able to concentrate on my game while at the same time being really supported.”

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Ibe has made just two appearances for Ebbsfleet so far, with the last of those coming in the FA Trophy against Bishop’s Stortford on December 9. He started the match but was brought off in the 60th minute.

This Sunday, his two former Premier League employers, Bournemouth and Liverpool go head-to-head in the Premier League. Andoni Iraola’s Cherries have lost just once in their last nine matches, while Jurgen Klopp’s Reds sit top of the table.

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