Few Liverpool loanees have had as much success as Viteslav Jaros this season. This is Anfield His club Sturm Graz is going for the double.
— Graz, Austria
It’s been a whirlwind few months for Viteslav Jaros since his loan move from Liverpool to Sturm Graz in the January transfer window.
He made his European debut in the UEFA Conference League, reached the Austrian Cup final and is currently competing for the Austrian Bundesliga title. With that, he earned his first senior call-up to the Czech national team.
“I kind of knew it was coming,” Jaros says. It’s Anfield.
“I was talking to the goalkeeping coach, I was talking to a scout who came to watch me play. So I knew it was in the cards, but I didn’t know for sure until the squad came out.”
Jaros spent the March international break training with the Czech Republic senior national team in preparation for two friendlies against Armenia and Norway. He may not have earned a single minute on the pitch, but he still enjoyed every minute.
“It was a proud moment,” he says. “It was good overall. Good group and good staff. It was nice to get to know everyone, and it was nice to be able to advance to the next level. There is a big difference between the U21s and the first team. So I’m really happy.”
Jaros, 22, is approaching a major turning point in his career. He has been at Liverpool for almost seven years and has enjoyed a loan spell at Ireland’s St Patrick’s Athletic, where he not only won the club’s Player of the Year award in 2021, but also picked up awards for 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. From Sturm Graz, Jaros joined the side that drew 2-2 with Atalanta in the Europa League group stage earlier this season. He is attracting attention by earning regular playing time as the club’s number one player.
“It feels like a different kind of loan,” he says. “I come in knowing I’m going to play, so I can just focus on enjoying my football. It’s a really good league. “It’s really fun to play in Europe too,” he said.
Jaros reached the round of 16 of the UEFA Conference League with Sturm Graz. He featured in the win over Slovan Bratislava in the previous round, and also put in a solid performance against Lille despite being ultimately eliminated.
According to FotMob, the Liverpool loanee has made a total of 10 saves in his two games against Lille and has surpassed his expected goals by 0.71.
“I loved it,” he says. “It’s always good to test yourself against one of the better teams in Europe. I mean (Lille is) third or fourth in France. So it was nice to know where I was and where the team was.
“Personally, I think I played pretty well in both games, so I’m really satisfied.”
contact with liverpool
He has not been forgotten in Liverpool either. The club’s goalkeeping staff are keeping in regular contact with Jaros and tracking his progress at Sturm Graz.
“I am most in touch with John Achterberg. We talk after every game and get his feedback.
“He gives me messages and tells me what he thinks of my game, what I did right and what I did wrong. But overall he seems really happy with the way I’m performing and the way I’m moving on. ”
Looking ahead to the season, there is a lot left for Jaros and Sturm Graz to contend with. As of this writing, the club is three points ahead of Austrian Bundesliga leaders Red Bull Salzburg with three games remaining.
Jaros’ side will face Rapid Vienna in the Austrian Cup final on May 1 after beating Salzburg in the semi-finals. While Jaros are in contention, Sturm Graz will be hoping to retain their crown from last season’s cup triumph.
It’s a great time to be at the Austrian club, and the Liverpool loanee is enjoying every moment. Especially often playing to raucous crowds in Sturm Graz.
“Every game feels like a big game”
“It’s always good to have a big crowd because it’s not an empty stadium, and it brings that atmosphere that makes every game feel like a big game,” he says. This is Anfield.
“(The season) is not long left. “I only have about a month left, but I want to keep playing, do well, and see what it brings me.”
Jaros is determined to succeed with Sturm Graz. He now also has the added incentive to return to the senior Czech Republic squad for Euro 2024 later this summer.
“I hope we can qualify for the Euros in the summer,” he said.
“Even if I don’t think I’m going to play, it’s going to be a lesson. But you never know something crazier has happened in football. But yeah, it’s going to be incredible. It will be a proud moment. Even to be part of a team.
“The team is still really strong right now. I feel like I’m ready to compete with the best, so I think it’ll be fun.”
Only time will tell what the future holds beyond.
