Liverpool manager Arne Slot has confirmed that the club’s owners will pay out the final two years of Diogo Jota’s contract to his family.
The Portugal striker tragically passed away in a car crash alongside his brother, Andre Silva, on July 3.
His death came just 11 days after the 28-year-old father of three had married his long-term partner, Rute Cardoso.
Reports in Portugal at the time revealed that Fenway Sports Group (FSG), Liverpool’s owners, had committed to covering the remainder of Jota’s £140,000-per-week contract, which was due to run until 2027.
In tribute, Liverpool have retired Diogo Jota’s number 20 shirt, while Chelsea players also donated a portion of their Club World Cup prize money to support his family.
In an interview with TNT Sports, Slot revealed: “I said how proud I felt about how the fans reacted and the 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 – maybe people think it’s normal, but it is not in football.
“The way the fans conducted 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. There are moments where I feel: ‘What must his wife and his children feel now?’ It sounds so hard but our life continues. People expect from me that I prepare them forever and that sometimes feels a bit difficult knowing how hard it is for the family and for the parents in the phase they are still going through and will go through for the rest of their lives.”
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