Arne Slot handed a first start of the season to two players as in last night’s Carabao Cup victory over Brighton, but one of those players would have no longer been at the club had his wish been granted this summer.
Slot named a heavily rotated lineup which included Vitezslav Jaros and Tyler Morton, but The Athletic reports that goalkeeper Jaros asked to leave Liverpool before the close of the transfer window.
The start for Jaros saw him make his senior debut, and only the second appearance of his Liverpool career after replacing Alisson during the recent match against Crystal Palace. Having missed the Palace clash due to illness Caoimhin Kelleher has stepped up in the absence of the Reds’ first choice keeper, giving Jaros his moment in a cup match that would have usually seen the Irishman feature.
The 23-year-old’s performance was one of the bright spots in an otherwise routine victory, and Slot praised the Czech international, calling him “outstanding” for his work in goal and his confident distribution.
It was a moment that could have never been though, with the player reportedly frustrated at the lack of a path to the first team and pushing for a move over the summer. Jaros currently finds himself third choice behind Alisson and Kelleher, with Giorgi Mamardashvili also joining the club next summer with the expectation of at least being the club’s second choice stopper.
Liverpool however were not willing to let the keeper go, with question marks at the time over the future of Kelleher which could have seen him needed as backup.
Kelleher has been hinting ever more strongly at a move away from Anfield for the past couple of years, and with Mamardashvili’s arrival that time will surely come next summer. The new arrival would still see Jaros as third choice though, and given his reported desire to leave this summer he is unlikely to be receptive to more of the same.
It has been suggested that Alisson may be into his final years at the club, and could possibly leave in 2026 following a bedding-in period for Mamardashvili. Whilst it is possible the Reds could loan Jaros out for the duration of next season it is still doubtful he’d be happy to play second fiddle to the Georgian on his return as a 25-year-old.
From the limited opportunities we’ve had to see Jaros in action it looks like there’s definitely a good player waiting to develop, but unfortunately the opportunity to showcase that is unlikely to come at Anfield.
