Having joined Derby in January 2018 and scored six goals to help the Rams to the Championship play-off semi-finals, the now 34-year-old suddenly found himself out of the picture under incoming boss Frank Lampard.
Eager for playing time, Jerome sought a transfer but found his English options limited with a number of offers from second-tier rivals blocked by the Pride Park club.
At that point the former Cardiff, Birmingham, and Stoke star decided to exercise a long-term ambition to play abroad, linking up with Turkish Süper Lig side Göztepe, where he would go on to score eight goals in 49 league appearances.
“There was quite a bit of interest from China and Turkey at the time and I’d always said I’d like to try something different in my career if the opportunity came about,” Jerome said.
Opportunity
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