When Vitezslav Jaros returned from a loan spell this summer as a league and cup winner with Austrian side Sturm Graz, he asked Liverpool if they would sanction another temporary move away.
The 23-year-old enjoyed his time as a regular starter so much he was desperate for more this year. Finding a way to play regularly was his main focus after sitting on the bench as the third-choice goalkeeper for the Czech Republic at the European Championships in June.
Liverpool, though, had other ideas. With Adrian out of contract and making his way back to Real Betis, the plan to keep the goalkeeping department strong involved a specific change: promoting Jaros into the senior section.
Little did they think he would be called upon so soon and in such dramatic circumstances. With Liverpool top of the Premier League and 1-0 up away at Crystal Palace with 10 minutes to play, a signal was sent to the previously unused goalkeeper sat on the sidelines.
Alisson was on the floor cursing another setback and holding his hamstring in pain. The Brazilian pulled off his gloves and punched the floor in frustration and a sense of nervousness swept through the away end — not only because Liverpool were already clinging on to their slender lead but because the usually reliable understudy Caoimhin Kelleher was also missing through illness. Jaros was about to hold the fort.
For 10 minutes, all eyes were on the goalkeeper as Palace unleashed shots — many of them wild and off-target — and cranked up the heat on the new man between the sticks.
Jaros punched away a corner with about as much conviction as a golfer with the yips standing over a three-foot putt. Fortunately, Virgil van Dijk was there to act as a calming presence and help Jaros settle in. A big save from an Eberechi Eze shot gave him a much-needed boost and the confidence to then dive at the feet of Jean-Philippe Mateta and relieve pressure.
The way Liverpool retained possession in the closing stages — much to the delight of Slot who had asked for an improvement on the previous week — acted as a layer of protection around the man making his Premier League debut. But even the cauldron of noise at Selhurst Park didn’t knock him out of his stride in the closing stages.
That’s why Liverpool were so keen for Jaros to stick around this year. At Sturm Graz, Jaros played all but one of the 15 league games between February and May and also experienced the Europa Conference League with a trip away to Lille.
The loan system has worked well for Jaros. He had successful spells at St Patrick’s Athletic in Ireland, Notts County and Stockport County, where he was described by some of those who worked with him as a mature, reliable goalkeeper with great potential. He was prepared for this moment and ready to step up, just as Liverpool predicted.
Slot was also convinced after recognising Jaros’s qualities during the U.S. tour, where he excelled. “We trust him a lot. He wanted to go because he wanted playing time again, but we said, ‘Listen, at a club like this we also need a very good third goalkeeper’. It is very pleasing to see that our third goalkeeper did really well because he can have an impact on results.”
With Alisson set for a spell on the sidelines and Kelleher expected to step in, Jaros will be there if needed in times ahead, too.
Speaking on the way out of Selhurst Park, Alisson told Portuguese-speaking journalists that he was unlikely to travel away with Brazil for the crunch World Cup qualifiers with Chile and Peru, and instead would be assessed by the medical team at Liverpool.
An exact timeframe for his absence has not yet been set, although Slot suggested he will be struggling until at least after the next international break, by which time Liverpool would have faced Chelsea, RB Leipzig, Arsenal, Brighton (in the Premier League and Carabao Cup), Bayer Leverkusen, and Aston Villa.
Nine wins out of 10 in all competitions has given the team a solid platform to build on in the quest for multiple trophies at the end of this season, but only time will tell how much Alisson’s presence was missed when the next round of fixtures are complete.
In Kelleher, Liverpool have arguably the best understudy goalkeeper in the Premier League and the decision not to sell him on the cheap, when Nottingham Forest bid £7million ($9.2m) plus Matt Turner in January, has been justified.
As good as Alisson has been, his injuries are becoming a concern. Last season, he played just 73 per cent of the Premier League campaign (10 games missed) — his lowest amount of minutes since joining from Roma in 2018 — and has already suffered two setbacks early into 2023-24.
Kelleher has shown he’s a No 1 in his own right. Against Bournemouth last month, he made important saves in the 3-0 victory and then stood tall a few days later against West Ham United in the 5-1 Carabao Cup win.
What happens in the future is still unclear. Alisson has turned down interest in Saudi Arabia for two summers in a row and still has two years left on his contract plus another year’s option.
Giorgi Mamardashvili, the £35million summer signing who was loaned back to Valencia, will be in contention next season while Kelleher has reiterated on multiple occasions over the past two years that he wants to be regular — but whether that is at Anfield or elsewhere is still unclear.
There’s a lot to decide, but the short-term future is straightforward. It’s Kelleher and Jaros as the two available goalkeepers who will be tasked with getting Liverpool through a crucial period before Christmas.
(Top photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images)
