Arne Slot has confessed that Liverpool goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros had plans to leave the club on loan this summer until he persuaded him to stay.
Jaros, who is the third-choice goalkeeper, became a hero on Saturday when he stepped in for the injured Alisson Becker during the Reds’ 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace – making a big save from Eberechi Eze to secure three points. The 23-year-old shotstopper was only named on the bench due to the illness of second-choice goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
Having been with Liverpool since 2017, the Czech player spent the latter half of last season on loan at Austrian team Sturm Graz, where he made 21 appearances and contributed to their historic league-cup double win.
Jaros had intentions to return to Austria over the summer, but Slot and other Liverpool executives stepped in.
It was very good to see with Caoimh being sick yesterday, our third goalkeeper got this performance in,” the Reds manager told TNT Sports after Jaros played the final 17 minutes at Selhurst Park and made several interventions.“[It’s] always nice for a team that everyone is involved in the results. [He handled it] really good.
He had a very good season last season, he won the league and cup where he was in Austria,” reports the Mirror.“We trust him a lot. He wanted to go [back this season] because he wanted to have playing time again.
We said at a club like this, we also need a very good third goalkeeper as well. Today proves we were right, and maybe for him, it was a nice moment for him to make his debut for Liverpool.”Before making the move to Strum Graz in January, the young keeper penned a new long-term contract with Liverpool.
Jaros’ transfer to Graz marked his fourth loan stint away from Anfield, with his inaugural one being at Irish club St Patrick’s Athletic in 2021.
Subsequently, he was part of Notts County’s endeavour to secure promotion from the National League, featuring in 15 matches during the latter half of the 2021-22 season as they endured play-off disappointment.
The next season saw Jaros team up with newly-promoted Stockport County in League Two, where he played 13 games before losing his starting position.
Jaros might be selected for Liverpool’s first match post the international break, a home game in the Premier League against Chelsea.
This game signifies the start of a daunting series of fixtures for Slot’s team, who are set to face RB Leipzig, Arsenal, Brighton twice, Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, Southampton, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Newcastle, Everton and Girona before December 14.
