Diogo Jota contract gesture confirmed by Liverpool’s Arne Slot in heartbreaking interview

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has spoken about the tragic death of Diogo Jota in an emotional new interview discussing his pride at what the club’s owners, players and fans did for the striker’s family

Arne Slot has disclosed that Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, fully settled Diogo Jota’s contract to the Portuguese star’s family following his tragic death in early July.

The forward and his brother, Andre Silva, were tragically killed in a car crash while journeying through Spain to catch a ferry back to the UK for pre-season training. Jota, a dad-of-three who had recently married his childhood sweetheart Rute Cardoso, had two years left on his Anfield contract at the time of his passing, with reports from Portugal over the summer suggesting the club would honour his entire contract.

Slot has now confirmed this generous gesture while reflecting on the striker’s untimely death, revealing FSG had fully settled his contract to support the player’s family. Speaking in an emotional interview with Ally McCoist for TNT Sports, the manager of the Premier League champions explained what had unfolded, reports the Mirror.

He said: “Unfortunately we had to bring one player more in than we were… than what was the plan. 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 referenced how the club had taken measures to support Jota’s widow, Rute Cardoso, during a recent appearance on The Overlap US earlier this month.

Werner said: “He was an extraordinary person. 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 team-mates, 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.”

Jota’s heartbreaking death sent shockwaves of grief rippling across the footballing community, with Liverpool paying tribute to the forward through several moving gestures after his untimely demise.

The Merseyside club has permanently retired the number 20 jersey in honour of the forward.

A sculpture at Anfield, crafted from recycled items from fans’ tributes laid at the club’s stadium throughout the summer, has also been commissioned.

Furthermore, a ‘Forever 20′ emblem will be stitched onto the players’ kits and warm-up jackets and a new grassroots football programme is being established in Jota’s name.

Liverpool also paid tribute to Jota and Silva during pre-season with touching moments before each match, including floral tributes and minute silences. Fans continue to remember the Portuguese player by singing his popular chant in the 20th minute of every game.