Arne Slot has revealed that Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, have paid the remaining portion of Diogo Jota’s contract to his family.
The Portuguese forward was sadly killed in July when his vehicle collided in the Spanish region of Zamora. Jota’s brother, Andre Silva, also died in the tragedy.
In the days that followed, reports surfaced that Liverpool intended to pay Jota’s family the remaining balance of his contract. Two months later, Arne Slot has corroborated the accusations while praising Liverpool’s owners. He told TNT Sports, according to the Mirror:
“Unfortunately, we had to bring in one more player than what was planned. That’s why our spending was more than planned,” he explained.
“Working at this club is so special to me because of the city’s grief.” To work at a club that is successful and has a parade, which is, of course, larger than any procession elsewhere in the globe. But the way the fans acted after the tragedy.
“The number of flowers and memorials made me almost cry. It’s unbelievable what our fans have accomplished. And our players, in terms of how they carried themselves during and after the funeral. And then we’ll have to train again. And there are times when I wonder, “What must his wife and children be feeling right now?”
“Because it sounds so difficult… our lives continue. People want me to prepare them eternally. And knowing how difficult things are for the family and the parents makes it difficult at times. They are still going through this phase and will be for the rest of their life. I expressed how thrilled I was of how the supporters reacted, but ownership…
“Owners, like managers, are frequently vilified, but the way they handled this scenario, paying his wife and children the entire contract amount, is laudable. Perhaps people believe it is natural, but it is not in football.”
Jota is thought to have earned £140,000 per week at Liverpool, and his contract is slated to end in the summer of 2027. As a result, Liverpool handed out around £14.5 million to his family.
During a recent appearance on The Overlap US, Liverpool chairman Tom Werner said that the club had approached Jota’s widow, Rute Cardoso. He stated, “It is always tragic when someone dies before their time. But his death affected everyone because he was so revered.
“It was immediately important to us to contact his widow and ensure that she understood that we are a family.” We consider ourselves a family and wanted to ensure her and her children’s financial well-being.
“It’s very important for us to demonstrate that, whatever happens, we care about the footballer but we care even more about the individual.”
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