Diogo Jota Liverpool contract gesture confirmed in emotional Arne Slot interview

Arne Slot has confirmed that Liverpool honoured Diogo Jota's contract in full to support his family following his tragic death in July

Arne Slot has confirmed that Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, paid out Diogo Jota’s contract in full to the Portuguese’s family following his tragic passing at the start of July.

The forward was killed in a car crash, along with his brother, Andre Silva, when travelling across Spain in order to catch a ferry to return to the United Kingdom for the start of pre-season.

Jota had two years left on his Reds contract at the time of his passing, with reports in Portugal earlier this summer claiming that the club would honour the entirety of his contract. And Slot has now confirmed such a gesture as he reflected on the forward’s death, revealing that FSG had paid out on his contract in full to support the player’s family.

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“Unfortunately we had to bring one player more in than we were… than what was the plan,” he told Ally McCoist in an interview with TNT Sports. “That’s why our spending was higher than intended.

"The grief of the city, that is what makes it for me so special to work at this club. To work at a club where there is success and there is a parade, of course this parade is bigger than any parade everywhere around the world.

“But the way they conducted, the fans themselves, after that tragedy. How many flowers there were, all the memorials, I can almost get emotional thinking about it. It’s unbelievable what our fans have done.

“And our players as well, the way they have conducted themselves in and around the funeral. And then we have to train again. And there are moments where I feel, ‘What must his wife and his children feel now?’

“Because it sounds so hard… our life continues. People expect from me that I prepared them forever.

“And that sometimes feels a bit difficult, knowing how hard it is for the family and for the parents. The phase they are still going through and will go through for the rest of their lives.

“I said how proud I felt about how the fans reacted but ownership… Owners are mainly criticised, like managers, but the way they’ve handled this situation, by paying his wife and his children all the money from the contract [is commendable].

“Maybe people think it’s normal, but it is not in football.”

Liverpool chairman, Tom Werner, alluded to how the club had taken steps to support Jota’s widow, Rute Cardoso, in a recent appearance on The Overlap US earlier this month.

“He was an extraordinary person," he said. "He was beloved, not because he was the leading goalscorer. He was beloved because he was genuinely kind.

“I found him incredibly curious. When I would have a conversation with him, we would talk a lot about gaming. When he did his goal celebration, he referred to that. He had an esports team and I think, by reputation, he was one of the best FIFA players in the Premier League.

“I only mention that because he had a certain breath of curiosity that drew people to him. He was extremely popular among his teammates, he was extremely popular in the dressing room.

“One of the things that I admired about him. He had a couple of tough injuries last year but he didn’t mope around, he focused on how he could help the club and knew that he could have an impact even if he didn’t start. And he did have an impact because he did have some late goals that were really quite important. He accepted his role in a graceful way.

“It’s always a tragedy when someone dies before their time. But his death really did hit everybody because he was so beloved.

“It was immediately important to us that we reach out to his widow and to make sure that she understood that we are a family. It is a cliché but we do think of ourselves as a family and we wanted to make sure she was well taken care of financially, and her children…

“It’s very important for us to demonstrate that, whatever happens, we care about the footballer but we care even more about the individual.”

The shock death of Jota prompted an outpouring of grief and emotion in the footballing community, with Liverpool paying a number of tributes to Jota since his passing.

The Reds retired the forward’s number 20 shirt in his memory across all levels at the club.

They have also commissioned a memorial sculpture at Anfield, to be produced from recycled items from supporters tributes laid at the memorial site at the club’s stadium throughout the summer.

Other tributes include a ‘Forever 20’ emblem being embroidered on the players’ kits and warm-up jackets, a new grassroots football programme being set up in Jota’s name.

Meanwhile, Liverpool also paid tribute to Jota and Silva throughout pre-season in emotional scenes before every game, including floral tributes and minute silences, while supporters continue to remember the Portuguese by singing his popular chant in the 20th minute of every match.

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