Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version or go back to LFC Live.net

Jul 13, 2025, 06:45 AM ET

Arne Slot has paid an emotional tribute to Diogo Jota ahead of Liverpool's first match since the Portugal forward's death on Sunday.

Jota, who was 28, and his brother André Silva, who was 25, died in a car crash near Zamora, Spain on July 3.

Liverpool face Championship side Preston North End at Deepdale in a preseason friendly that could include several first-team players, who reported to training on Tuesday.



So they should and will be very proud if they could hear what all his teammates and all the staff members would say about him.

Arne Slot and several members of the Liverpool squad attended Diogo Jota's funeral on July 5. Octavio Passos/Getty Images

"Second of all, I think our fans can be so proud about the players we have at this club.

"They've seen them winning the league, that was a great achievement, but what they did in the last week with the togetherness they had, how they conducted themselves when we were in Portugal together, the fans couldn't have asked for more from our players when it comes to how great human beings they are.

"Those are the two emotions.

But it's the both of them."

Slot emphasised the need for his players feel what it is like to play football again as the players and staff continue to process their grief.

"Nothing seems to be important if we think of what has happened.

But we are a football club and we need to train and we need to play again, if we want it or not," Slot said.

"What I've said to the players, I can say it here as well.

If they want to train they can train, if they don't want to train they can not train.

But be yourself, don't think you have to be different than your emotions tell you."

"Second of all, Jots was the player that if things were really, really, really difficult, I always looked at him and said, 'Now we need something special from you.' And he delivered so many times in those moments.