Liverpool goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros will spend the rest of the season on loan with Sturm Graz in the Austrian Bundesliga, both clubs have confirmed.
After consecutive spells with St Patrick’s Athletic, Notts County and Stockport County, Jaros spent the first half of the season back at Liverpool.
The 22-year-old goalkeeper was registered as a homegrown player in the Premier League, and warmed the bench for the first three group games in the Europa League.
But he has now left Merseyside for the remainder of the campaign, signing a six-month loan deal with Sturm Graz after extending his contract with Liverpool.
Sturm Graz are second in the Austrian Bundesliga, but a serious injury to first-choice goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen left the club urgently needing a replacement.
Jaros trained with his new team-mates for the first time on Monday, before travelling for a mid-season camp in Slovenia on Tuesday, with fixtures resuming on February 2.
The expectation is that the Czech will arrive as starting goalkeeper with first-choice Kjell Scherpen out for the rest of the season, though Luka Maric is another, in-house option for Christian Ilzer.
Liverpool had already sent another goalkeeper, Marcelo Pitaluga, on loan to St Patrick’s Athletic this month, with Fabian Mrozek likely to be given more exposure in first-team training.
Jaros joined the Reds from Slavia Prague in 2017, and though he has made the matchday squad on seven occasions over three separate campaigns, he is yet to play for Liverpool at senior level.
His departure comes amid speculation over Jakub Ojrzynski’s position at Den Bosch, with the Dutch club signing West Ham goalkeeper Krisztian Hegyi on loan on Monday.
There is a chance that Ojrzynski, who has largely played second fiddle for his loan side this season, could now be recalled to Liverpool.
Good luck, Vit!
