Jordon Ibe was once viewed as a possible like-for-like replacement for Raheem Sterling at Liverpool when the Englishman left for Manchester City. Ibe made his debut for the Reds at the age of 17 (in 2013) and by 2015, after two decent loan spells at Birmingham City and Derby County, there was a feeling that he was ready for the big step-up in his career.
In 58 senior appearances for the Reds, he scored four goals and provided seven assists. Just as he was about to pick up on his career with Liverpool, however, Ibe was sold to Bournemouth for a then-club record of just over £15 million in the summer of 2016.
This was supposed to be his ‘big move’ to prove his quality to take the Premier League by storm, but lady luck would not favor him at all. Ibe spent five years at Bournemouth, but he could never really prove to be worth his price tag.
His best season for the Cherries came in the 2017/18 campaign. He scored two goals and provided six assists in 32 Premier League games, as they finished 12th in the league. Things started going downhill after that.
Ibe only had 795 minutes of playing time in the 2018/19 Premier League season, getting two goal contributions. That plummeted down to 47 minutes in the 2019/20 campaign. Let down by his inconsistency, Bournemouth released him in the summer of 2020.
The English winger was signed on a free transfer by Derby County after that on good faith following his impressive loan spell with them in the 2014/15 season. He made one appearance for the Rams in the 2020/21 Championship season. Ibe even faced an internal disciplinary action in December, 2020 for an undisclosed matter.

It wasn’t any injury keeping him out, but a harrowing case of depression. In January, 2021, Ibe would admit to be suffering from depression in a somber message on social media where he stated: “I want to apologise to all my fans around the world. 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.”
Derby County kept him on their books until the end of the 2020/21 season before releasing him in July, 2021. Ibe ended up missing an entire year of footballing action as he struggled with his fight with depression.
He claimed to being deeply affected by public criticism, telling Sportbible in 2021: “The criticism is tough. It got to a stage where I saw a lot of people talking [on social media] and I think what hurt me most was when I was hearing negative comments here and there. I’m my own worst critic. I’m very critical of myself. I’m always looking to do better.”
The ex-Liverpool winger decided to return to football in January, 2022 when he joined Turkish second-division side Adanaspor. Ibe left the club a few months later without making a single appearance.
He stayed off the radar for over a year before joining National League side Ebbsfleet United in October, 2023. In his one (and only season), he made one appearance for them.
Ibe took another ‘demotion’ by deciding to play in the Isthmian League, a regional league in London. He joined Hayes & Yeading United, making 10 appearances in the October-November 2024 period before being released again.
The 29-year-old has now decided to venture on a totally different journey. He’s joined Hungerfield Town FC, a team playing in the Southern League Premier Division South. This is a league that features semi-professional clubs, but Ibe remains upbeat and positive about this move as he stated: “It is an honour to Hungerford Town for taking me in and believing in my dream.It is time to buckle down and show the ability that I still have. With hard work, it can take you anywhere.”
The South Division of the Southern League is basically a feeder division to the National League System, and is basically the seventh tier of the English league football system. Money might not be that big of a factor for Ibe, who has a reported net worth of over 8.6 million, despite only earning a rumoured £789 at Hayes & Yeading United.
But for a player like Ibe, who has represented England at the under-21 level and has four goals in the Premier League, being relegated to such a low level at just 29 is a major downfall. To his credit, he’s remaining upbeat amidst this dark period in his career and he just needs a stroke of good fortune to play for a prominent English football club before the end of his journey.