Former Liverpool star tipped to be ‘better than Raheem Sterling’ now without a club at 27
Jordon Ibe had the world at his feet and the exit of Raheem Sterling at Liverpool was supposed to pave the way to stardom.
Instead, the winger fell completely out of love with football and now finds himself without a club.
Sterling's transfer to Manchester City from Liverpool was one of the most well-documented moves in 2015 and he eventually left for around £50million.
At the time, the forward was the hottest talent in the Premier League and was renowned for his skills and pace, scoring 11 in 52 appearances under Brendan Rodgers in 2014/15.
But while the England international may not have had it his own way at Anfield, there was a feeling The Reds already had a replacement waiting in the wings.
Ibe had started to break into the Reds side, making 14 appearances in all competitions in Sterling's last season at the club before being loaned to Derby, where he scored five in 20 league games.
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Having made his debut at the age of 15 at Wycombe, there was huge hype building around the youngster, encapsulated by Liverpool legend John Aldridge.
The former striker tipped Ibe to better Sterling, writing in 2015: "Raheem is obviously a hugely talented player but Liverpool have a top replacement in Jordon Ibe.
"I’ve been watching Jordon play since he was 15. He’s a terrific player and has bags of potential.
"In fact I think he’s got as much if not more potential than Raheem and will go on to be a better player."
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However, eight years later and the winger finds himself without a club after a failed stint in Turkey's second division.
After Sterling departed, Ibe was given the chance to shine at Liverpool and he made 41 appearances in all competitions the following campaign.
But having scored just once in the Premier League, his time at Anfield would come to an end in Jurgen Klopp's first summer as manager, having replaced Rodgers the season before.
Bournemouth snapped up the young winger, still just 21, for £15m where he would be a first-team regular - for the first three months of his time at the club, anyway.
Eddie Howe, who was in charge of the Cherries at the time, then dropped Ibe from the side after failing to show consistency.
After a 3-0 thrashing by Millwall in the FA Cup third-round where Ibe started, Howe said: "He hasn't been a regular in the team and that will be a disappointment for him and for us.
"I still feel there's a lot of potential in there, but obviously he's got to fulfil that when he gets chances like today
Unfortunately, Ibe could never fulfil that potential and his best goal tally at the Vitality Stadium was three in 2018/19.
When his contract expired in 2020, Bournemouth he signed for Derby for the second time in September that year.
However, he had his contract ripped up after one season when he played just once while he spoke out on suffering from depression.
The pandemic had hit hard for the forward, who said over lockdown: "I will fix myself and this situation, which I'm 100 per cent committed to, not only for my family, friends or my beautiful daughter, but for me.
"I want to apologise to all my fans around the world. I find myself in a dark place due to suffering with depression."
Months later in January 2022, Ibe penned a three-and-a-half-year contract for Adanaspor, a side in the Turkish second division, but a move abroad could not kickstart his career.
After failing to make a single appearance, he was released just months after putting pen to paper and has been without a club ever since.
It means he has played one professional game of football since 2020 and finds himself on the sidelines at the age of 27.
But there is still hope for Ibe, who trained with non-league Chesterfield over the summer, though talk of a permanent move has been quiet.
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The Spireites fell at the final hurdle last season in the National League after losing to Notts County in a dramatic 4-3 penalty win at Wembley last year in the play-off final.
They currently are top of the league as they look to finally return to League Two - whether Ibe will be with them by then, though, remains to be seen.
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