Few Liverpool loanees have enjoyed as much success this season as Vitezslav Jaros, who speaks to This Is Anfield as his club, Sturm Graz, challenge for the double.
— GRAZ, AUSTRIA
It has been a whirlwind few months for Vitezslav Jaros since joining Sturm Graz on loan from Liverpool back in the January transfer window.
He’s made his debut in Europe playing in the UEFA Conference League, qualified for the Austrian Cup final and is currently competing for the Austrian Bundesliga title. Mixed in there, he’s also earned his first senior international call-up for Czechia.
“I sort of knew a little bit that it was coming,” Jaros tells This is Anfield.
“I was talking to the goalie coach, and I was talking to the scout that was coming to watch my game. So I sort of knew that was on the cards, but I didn’t know for sure until the squad came out.”
Jaros spent the March international break training with Czechia’s senior squad to prepare for two friendlies against Armenia and Norway. He may not have earned any minutes on the pitch, but he still relished every moment.
“It was proud moment,” he says. “It was good overall. Good group of lads and good staff. It was good to get to know everyone, and it’s good to make the step up. It’s a big difference, U21 to the first team. So, I’m really happy for it.”
At 22 years old, Jaros is entering a significant turning point in his career. He has been at Liverpool for almost seven years and has enjoyed loan spells at St Patrick’s Athletic in Ireland, winning the club’s Player of the Season in 2021, as well as Stockport County and Notts County in the English football pyramid.
“A different kind of loan”
This current loan spell feels like a step up from the rest. In Sturm Graz, Jaros joined a team that drew 2-2 with Atalanta in the Europa League group stage earlier this season. He’s earning regular minutes as the club’s No. 1 and catching the eye.
“It feels like a different kind loan,” he says. “Because I’m coming in knowing I am going to play, and I can really focus on just enjoying the football. It’s a really good league. We played in Europe as well, so I’m really enjoying it.”
Jaros made the round of 16 with Sturm Graz in the UEFA Conference League. He featured in a win over Slovan Bratislava in the previous round, and produced a solid performance against Lille as well, despite ultimately being eliminated.
In total, the Liverpool loanee made 10 saves in the two games against Lille and outperformed his expected goals against by 0.71, as per FotMob.
“It was great,” he says. “It’s always good to sort of test yourself against one of the better teams in Europe. I mean [Lille are] third or fourth in France. So it was good to know where I am and where the team is at as well.
“I think I did quite well in the two games personally, so I’m really happy with that.”
Contact with Liverpool
He hasn’t been forgotten about at Liverpool either. The club’s goalkeeping staff are regularly keeping in contact with Jaros and tracking his progress at Sturm Graz.
“I’m keeping in touch with John Achterberg the most. We talk after every game, and I sort of get his feedback as well.
“He just drops me a message and says what he thinks of my game, what I did right, what I did wrong, but I think overall he seems to be really happy with the way I’m performing and I’m getting on.”
In terms of the season ahead, there is plenty left for Jaros and Sturm Graz to fight for. At the time of writing, the club is three points clear of Red Bull Salzburg at the top of the Austrian Bundesliga with three games to go.
Jaros’ side is also set to face Rapid Wien in the Austrian Cup final on May 1, after knocking out Salzburg in the semi-finals. With Jaros between the sticks, Sturm Graz will be hoping to retain their crown, having also won the cup last season.
It’s a good time to be at the Austrian club, and the Liverpool loanee is relishing every moment. Especially playing in front of Sturm Graz’s boisterous crowd.
“Every game feels like a big game”
“It’s always good when you get a big crowd because you haven’t got an empty stadium, and it brings that atmosphere, so every game feels like a big game,” he tells This Is Anfield.
“There’s not that much left [of the season]. There’s only about a month left, but yeah, I just want to carry on playing, doing well and see what that brings me.”
Jaros is determined to achieve success with Sturm Graz. He now also has an added incentive to return to Czechia’s senior squad for Euro 2024 later this summer.
“Hopefully I’ll get to go to the Euros in the summer,” he says.
“It would be class even though I don’t think I would play. But you never know, crazier things have happened in football. But yeah, it would be unbelievable. It would be a proud moment. Even to be around a team.
“The team is really strong now as well, I think ready to compete with the best, so it would be interesting.”
What the future holds beyond that, only time will tell.
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