In a surprising career twist, former Liverpool prodigy Jordon Ibe has abruptly ended his stint in English non-league football after a mere 17 days, opting instead for a new challenge in Bulgaria with Lokomotiv Sofia.
A Swift Departure from English Football
The 29-year-old winger, who once commanded a £15million transfer fee when moving from Liverpool to Bournemouth in 2016, had recently signed for eighth-tier outfit Sittingbourne FC. However, his commitment lasted less than three weeks before he decided to embark on what becomes the 11th different club of his professional career.
Lokomotiv Sofia represents Ibe's third club this year alone, highlighting the journeyman phase of a career that once promised sustained Premier League stardom.
Stepping into a Relegation Battle
Ibe joins a club entrenched in a survival fight, with Lokomotiv currently sitting 11th in the Bulgarian First League. The team finds itself just three points clear of the relegation zone, presenting an immediate competitive challenge for the former England youth international.
The move also represents a significant shift in environment for the player. Lokomotiv's matches attract average attendances of less than 1,000 spectators - a stark contrast to the packed houses of Anfield where Ibe began his professional journey as a teenager under managers Brendan Rodgers and Jürgen Klopp.
Seeking Career Revival After Difficult Years
The two-year contract with Lokomotiv offers Ibe a potential pathway to resurrect a career that has struggled for momentum in recent seasons. Since his Bournemouth contract expired in 2020, the winger has managed just 11 minutes of professional football across spells with Derby County and Ebbsfleet United.
In 2021, Ibe spoke candidly about his four-year battle with depression, revealing the personal struggles that coincided with his professional difficulties during that period.
Lokomotiv Sofia expressed their confidence in the player's potential revival in an official statement: "After a few difficult seasons, Jordan is ready to revive his career, and we all believe that this will happen at Lokomotiv. The management of Lokomotiv wishes Jordon Ibe much health, happiness and success with the red and black jersey."
The move marks a remarkable distance from the early promise Ibe showed at Liverpool, where he scored his first goal for the club in a 1-0 Europa League victory over Rubin Kazan in 2015. Then-manager Jürgen Klopp immediately embraced the young winger after the goal, telling reporters: "He is a good lad and a big talent, a very skilled player. He has a really good base and he feels good at this moment but he has to work on things and he has a lot to learn. If he is prepared for this then everything will be good."
Now, nearly a decade later, Ibe prepares for perhaps the most unexpected chapter of his professional journey in Bulgarian football.
