Jota, 28, died in the early hours of Thursday morning along with his brother Andre Silva, 25, who was also a professional footballer with Portuguese second-tier club, Penafiel.
“All I have are feelings that I know so many people will share about a person and a player we loved dearly and a family we care so much about.
“My first thoughts are not those of a football manager. They are of a father, a son, a brother and an uncle and they belong to the family of Diogo and Andre Silva who have experienced such an unimaginable loss.
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Tributes are being left by fans at Anfield after Diogo Jota died
Image credit: Getty Images
“My message to them is very clear – you will never walk alone. The players, the staff, the supporters of Liverpool Football Club are all with you and from what I have seen today, the same can be said of the wider family of football.”
Jota joined Liverpool from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020 and helped the Merseyside club to a number of successes.
Jurgen Klopp was Jota’s manager for four years at Liverpool before Slot came to Anfield last summer.
Jota was a key part of the team under Slot who won the club’s 20th league title last season.
“For us as a club, the sense of shock is absolute. Diogo was not just our player,” Slot said. “He was a loved one to all of us. He was a team-mate, a colleague, a workmate and in all of those roles he was very special.
“I could say so much about what he brought to our team but the truth is everyone who watched Diogo play could see it. Hard work, desire, commitment, great quality, goals. The essence of what a Liverpool player should be.
“There were also the parts that not everyone got to see. The person who never sought popularity but found it anyway. Not a friend to two people, a friend to everyone. Someone who made others feel good about themselves just by being with them. A person who cared deeply for his family.
“The last time we spoke, I congratulated Diogo on winning the Nations League and wished him luck for his forthcoming wedding. In many ways, it was a dream summer for Diogo and his family, which makes it all the more heartbreaking that it should end like this.
“When I first came to the club, one of the first songs I got to know was the one that our fans sing for Diogo. I had not worked with him previously but I knew straight away that if the Liverpool supporters, who have seen so many great players over the years, had such a unique chant for Diogo, he must have special qualities.
“That we have lost those qualities in such terrible circumstances is something we have not yet come to terms with. For this reason, we need everyone at the club to stand together and to be there for one another. We owe this to Diogo, to Andre Silva, to their wider family and to ourselves.
“When the time is right, we will celebrate Diogo Jota, we will remember his goals and we will sing his song. For the time being, we will remember him as a unique human being and mourn his loss. He will never be forgotten.
Michael Edwards, CEO of Football for Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group, and the club’s sporting director Richard Hughes said in a joint statement that the club would honour Jota with “meaningful statements”.
“In the coming days, we as a club will look to honour our beloved No. 20 with the respect and affection he so richly deserves. We will strive to make these tributes meaningful and inclusive of our supporters, to whom Diogo meant so much,” the pair said.
“For now, we express a love that is filled with deep sorrow and pain. We have lost someone truly irreplaceable.”
