Arne Slot admits he had to talk Liverpool's unlikely hero into staying at club in summer
Arne Slot was forced to turn to third-choice goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros after Alisson Becker came off injured for Liverpool in their 1-0 win against Crystal Palace
by Nathan Ridley · The MirrorArne Slot has revealed that Liverpool goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros wanted to leave the club on loan this summer before he convinced him to stay.
Third-choice goalkeeper Jaros made himself a hero on Saturday after replacing the injured Alisson Becker during the Reds' 1-0 win away to Crystal Palace. Jaros, 23, was only named on the bench because of second-choice shot-stopper Caoimhin Kelleher was ill.
Having been on Liverpool's books since 2017, the Czech talent spent the second half of last season on loan at Austrian side Sturm Graz, making 21 appearances and helping them win an historic league-cup double. Jaros wanted to return to Austria over the summer but Slot and other Liverpool chiefs intervened.
"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 a number of 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.
"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 joining Strum Graz in January, the 23-year-old signed a new long-term contract with Liverpool. Jaros' move to Graz was his fourth loan spell away from Anfield, with his first coming at Irish outfit St Patrick's Athletic in 2021.
Get involved! Who should play in Liverpool's next match - Caoimhin Kelleher or Vitezslav Jaros? Have your say in the comments section.
He then joined Notts County's bid to earn promotion from the National League, playing 15 games in the second half of the 2021-22 campaign as they suffered play-off heartache. The following season, Jaros linked up with newly-promoted Stockport County in League Two, playing 13 games before losing his starting place.
Jaros could get the nod for Liverpool's first game after the international break, a home match in the Premier League against Chelsea. That fixture marks the beginning of a nightmare run of fixtures for Slot's side, who'll face RB Leipzig, Arsenal, Brighton twice, Bayer Leverkusen, Aston Villa, Southampton, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Newcastle, Everton and Girona before December 14.
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