3/1 To Win
Derby County have added further reinforcement to their attacking ranks with the signing of former England Under-21 international Jordon Ibe, who has penned a two-year deal.
The winger is Phillip Cocu’s fifth signing of the summer, adding to Mike te Wierik, David Marshall, Nathan Byrne and Kamil Jozwiak.
THE EARLY DAYS…
London-born Ibe began his youth career at Charlton Athletic. After his release, he signed for Wycombe Wanderers as a 12-year-old and flourished in their youth ranks.
He soon made his debut for the first-team, at just 15-years-old, in a League Cup victory over Colchester United – and he became the club’s youngest Football League player two months later.
After 11 appearances for the League One side, the youngster caught the eye of Premier League side Liverpool who signed the attacker in December 2011 when he was 16 years old.
In the final game of the 2012/13 season, Ibe made his Premier League debut. He assisted Phillipe Coutinho in a victory over Queens Park Rangers and played 64 minutes after being named in the starting line-up.
A loan move followed in the final months of the following season, after two first-team appearances for Liverpool, and Ibe scored one goal for Championship side Birmingham City in his 11 appearances.
Another loan move came at the start of 2014/15 season, this time to Derby County.
ONCE A RAM…
Ibe quickly became a fans’ favourite at Pride Park after signing on a season-long loan on 29th August 2014.
In his home debut, the winger scored just eight minutes after coming off the bench to pull a goal back against Cardiff City and the Rams went on to secure a point, after being 2-0 down, with Craig Bryson’s late goal earning a 2-2 draw.
His first away goal came in a 3-0 victory over Reading a few weeks later. In total, Ibe scored five goals in 20 league appearances for the Rams. His last came in a 4-0 Boxing Day victory over Birmingham City, where he also provided an assist for Craig Forsyth’s goal.
His impressive form saw his loan-spell cut short when the wideman was recalled by his parent club in January 2015.
During his time at Derby, Ibe was also called up to represent England Under-20s, playing in friendlies against Canada and Portugal.
RETURN TO THE REDS…
Upon his return to Anfield, Ibe was soon in action for Liverpool coming close to being the hero in the Merseyside Derby, striking the inside of the post during his Man of the Match performance against Everton that ended in a goalless draw.
The following season, he bagged his first goal for the Reds with the only goal in a Europa League group stage victory over Rubin Kazan. Ibe’s first Premier League goal came in the final game of the 2015/16 season, in a 1-1 draw against West Bromwich Albion.
After 51 appearances and four goals, Ibe left Anfield and returned to the South.
THE MOVE TO THE SOUTH COAST…
Ibe became Bournemouth’s then record signing in July 2016, penning a four-year deal with the Cherries, for a fee of £15 million.
His first goal for the club came in a 2-1 victory over Arsenal in January 2018.
After four years with Bournemouth, during which time he made 92 appearances and scored five goals, the 24-year-old was released by the Bournemouth at the end of his contract.
Ibe re-joins Derby having made 196 first-team appearances in club football, scoring 12 times.
