Heitinga to raid Liverpool for player Arne Slot is a massive fan of
John Heitinga recently left Liverpool’s coaching staff to become Ajax manager, and he could now raid the Reds for some of their out-of-favour players.
The Dutchman played for Everton during his time as a centre-back, but became part of Arne Slot’s coaching staff when he became Liverpool manager last year.
Heitinga is a highly rated coach, and was held in high regard at Liverpool before his departure to become head coach at Ajax, where he previously held a temporary interim role.
Now, he wants to sign a player he worked with at Liverpool, and his exit could be sanctioned if certain conditions are met.
Heitinga wants to sign Vitezslav Jaros from Liverpool
Heitinga is keen on signing a new goalkeeper at Ajax, and Liverpool backup Vitezslav Jaros is now being targeted by Slot’s former assistant.
Jaros made an unexpected Liverpool debut earlier this season at Crystal Palace, when Alisson was withdrawn with injury and Caoimhin Kelleher was absent from the matchday squad with illness.
| Stat | Jaros |
| Games | 2 |
| Conceded | 2 |
| Clean sheets | 1 |
Dutch outlet VI (8 June) has now reported that Ajax want to sign Jaros, with Heitinga familiar with the 23-year-old from his time at Anfield.
Ajax want him on loan, but Liverpool could push for a permanent deal, with an asking price of around £5million.
Jaros could leave Liverpool permanently
Jaros could follow Kelleher out the door as Liverpool revamps their goalkeeping roster, with Giorgi Mamardashvili arriving from Valencia this summer.
Armin Pecsi will arrive as a young goalkeeping prospect for the future, and could even replace Jaros as the third-choice option, meaning that a departure for the Czechia international could be sanctioned.
The 23-year-old made two appearances for Liverpool, as he also played against Brighton in a 3-2 victory in the EFL Cup, and Slot is a big fan of the goalkeeper.
“[He handled it] really good. He had a very good season last season, he won the league and cup where he was [Sturm Graz] in Austria,” Slot stated of Jaros after his debut.
“We trust him a lot. He wanted to go [back this season] because he wanted to have playing time again. We said at a club like this, we also need a very good third goalkeeper as well.
Despite Slot’s trust in Jaros, it now appears that he could exit given the opportunity to become a number one at a club as big as Ajax under a familiar coach in Heitinga.