The 23-year-old has attracted interest from former Liverpool coach John Hetinga
Liverpool backup goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros has emerged as a top target for Dutch heavyweights Ajax this summer.
Reds coach John Hetinga is said to be a huge admirer of the Czech international, who worked closely with him during his time at AXA training centre.
Ex-Everton centre back Hetinga was appointed assistant manager to Arne Slot in July 2024 and helped form part of the coaching team which won the Premier League title last season, marking the club’s first piece of silverware since Jurgen Klopp’s decision to step down.
Hetinga had previously worked as coach of Ajax’s youth team and had briefly acted as the club’s interim manager before reuniting with David Moyes as a coach at West Ham.
However, he’s since made the decision to return to Ajax as first team manager where he will hope to return the club to its former glory after three seasons without a league title.
Ajax are captained by former Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson, who agreed to move to the Dutch capital after a brief and unsuccessful stint in Saudi Arabia with Al Ettifaq where he was managed by Reds icon Steven Gerrard.
Ajax plot move for Vitezslav Jaros
Mail Sport claims Ajax are hoping to sign Vitezslav Jaros on loan from Liverpool this summer.
The 23-year-old shot-stopper joined the champions from Czech side Slavia Prague in 2017 and has previously had loan stints at Irish side St Patrick’s Athletic, then National League side Notts County, Stockport County in League Two where he won promotion, and most recently Sturm Graz where he made 14 league appearances in Austria’s top division.
Jaros was the third choice goalkeeper throughout last season behind Allison Becker and Caoimhin Kelleher. He made one start which came in a 3-2 League Cup victory over Brighton at the Amex Stadium and appeared once in the Premier League as a late substitute for Alisson as Liverpool ran out 1-0 winners in October against Crystal Palace.
In doing so the one-time Czech international became the first player from his country since Chelsea icon Peter Cech to win a league title since 2015. Jaros got a medal for his involvment in the win over Palace with the Reds given 40 medals to distribute to their squad and staff on the final day against the Eagles.
What does the future hold for Vitezslav Jaros?
Vitezslav Jaros arrived at Liverpool as a young prospect and has had to wait patiently for first team opportunities.
He’s made plenty of progress in loan spells away from Anfield and will be seeking an opportunity to prove his quality if he does make the move to Ajax to compete with 41-year-old veteran Remko Pasveer. The club did have 33-year-old Matheus Magalhaes on loan from Braga last term but the Brazilian only played eight times.
Jaros is likely to need to move out on loan to increase his chances of representing Czechia at the upcoming World Cup if they achieve qualification. As it stands, Liverpool have Alisson as their first choice and the incoming Georgian international Giorgi Mamardashvili ahead of him in the pecking order heading into the 2025/26 campaign.
Elsewhere, the club also signed 20-year-old Hungarian stopper Armin Pecsi from Puskas Akademia to replace the outgoing Kelleher after the Republic of Ireland international’s decision to move to London side Brentford.
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