3/1 To Win
Derby County have added another attacking option to their squad by completing the signing of winger Jordon Ibe.
The 24-year-old has joined Derby on a two-year contract as a free agent after leaving AFC Bournemouth in the summer.
Ibe is no stranger to Rams supporters after he impressed during a 24-game loan spell from Premier League giants Liverpool during the 2014/15 campaign.
The former England Under-21 international excited supporters with his direct play and trickery from out wide over the course of his five-month stay at Pride Park Stadium.
He scored five goals during his loan spell and his impressive displays resulted in him being recalled to Anfield by then Reds boss Brendan Rodgers.
Ibe has almost 200 career appearances to his name, the vast majority of which have been at the highest level of English football, and will be looking to carry on where he left off in Derby colours.
The wideman will now work with Derby’s strength and conditioning staff to build up his sharpness and match fitness, having not made a competitive first-team appearance since September 2019.
Reacting to Ibe’s signing, manager Phillip Cocu said: “Jordon is a player with a lot of potential and undoubted ability.
“He has performed for several years in the Premier League and at 24 years of age he still has many years ahead of him in his career.
“We have been keen to strengthen our attacking options out wide for some time, while we believe Derby County is the right place for Jordon at this stage of his career.”
Ibe progressed through the youth system at Wycombe Wanderers and made his debut for the Chairboys at the age of just 15 in August 2011.
He made 14 first-team appearances and his qualities attracted the interest of several Premier League sides, with Liverpool winning the race to secure his services in December 2011.
After impressing in the youth sides at Anfield, he made his first team bow by being named in the starting line-up against Queens Park Rangers on the final day of the 2012/13 season.
He made two further appearances for the Reds in the 2013/14 campaign, before joining Birmingham City on loan for the rest of the season in February 2014. He made 11 Championship appearances and scored once during his time with the Blues.
Ibe then joined Derby on loan for the entire 2014/15 campaign, but his form was so impressive that he was recalled by Liverpool in January 2015.
He became a regular for the next 18 months at Anfield and made 55 appearances in total, taking his total for the Reds up to 58, before moving onto AFC Bournemouth in the summer of 2016.
The Cherries paid a club-record £15 million for Ibe and he went on to make 92 appearances across four seasons, scoring on five occasions, prior to his contract expiring at the end of the 2019/20 season.
On the international stage, Ibe has represented England at Under-18, Under-19, Under-20 and Under-21 level. He qualifies to play for Nigeria as well as England, but confirmed his allegiance to the Three Lions in September 2015.
