Liverpool goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros has joined Austrian side Sturm Graz on loan after signing a new contract at Anfield.
The 22-year-old left the Slavia Prague academy to join Liverpool's youth setup in the summer of 2017 and has been a regular in between the sticks at Under-18 and Under-21 level for the Merseyside giants.
Jaros is still waiting to make his first-team debut for the Reds, but he made the bench in three of their Europa League group-stage games this season and has also been an unused substitute in the 2020-21 Champions League and 2019-20 FA Cup.
Since arriving at Anfield, Jaros has already been sent out on loan three times, spending most of 2021 with Irish outfit St Patrick's Athletic, who signed fellow Liverpool goalkeeper Marcelo Pitaluga on a short-term deal last week.
Jaros won his first major honour with St Patrick's Athletic in the shape of the Irish Cup, keeping 13 clean sheets in 39 games and being crowned their Player of the Year owing to his exceptional performances.
The Czech Republic Under-21 international then spent the second half of the 2021-22 season with Notts County before joining Stockport County for the 2022-23 campaign, and he will now spend the next six months in the top flight of Austrian football.
Vítězslav #Jaroš wechselt leihweise von @LFC zu den Schwoazn! 📜🖊️ #sturmgraz #inundaut pic.twitter.com/Rvvp50XLMH
— SK Sturm Graz (@SKSturm) January 9, 2024
"SK Sturm has made a name for itself internationally and last year proved that young goalkeepers can get match practice at a high level and develop excellently while on loan here," Jaros told the Sturm Graz website.
"When interest arose and I had the first discussions with Andreas Schicker and goalie coach Stefan Loch, I didn't have to think long - I'm looking forward to this spring and want to help the team achieve its goals nationally and internationally."
Sturm Graz had already signed one Premier League goalkeeper on loan over the summer, prising Kjell Scherpen away from Brighton & Hove Albion, but the 23-year-old - who was the Austrian side's first-choice shot-stopper - has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.
"After Kjell Scherpen's serious injury and surgery, it was clear that we wanted to add more to our goalkeeper team for the spring," Sturm Graz's managing director of sports Andreas Schicker added.
"Among other things, Vítězslav Jaros played in the Under-21 European Championships as a regular player, and we were able to quickly find an excellent solution with him. We are pleased to be able to welcome him to Graz and are convinced that he will help us in the spring - where we still have big goals in all three competitions."
Jaros played in all three of the Czech Republic's group matches at the 2023 Under-21 Euros and won the 2018-19 FA Youth Cup with Liverpool, helping the Reds beat Manchester City on penalties in the final.
Ben Knapton
