London [UK], August 13 : Ahead of the 2025-26 Premier League season, Liverpool manager Arne Slot and former boss Jurgen Klopp reflected on the late Portugal forward Diogo Jota's impact at the club.
Earlier in July, Jota died in a car accident in Spain at the age of 28. At the time of the accident, Jota was with his brother in the car, as reported by Sky Sports.
In September 2020, Jota was signed by Premier League club Liverpool. With the Reds, he won the Premier League 2024-25 title. He was also part of the Liverpool squad that lost to Real Madrid 1-0 in the 2021/22 Champions League final, where he came on as a substitute. For Liverpool, the player featured in 26 games this season and scored six goals.
Slot looked back on last season's tight battle with Arsenal, stressing the importance of fighting for fine margins again this year.
Speaking on JioHotstar's special show, 'Preview of the Season 2025-26', Slot praised Jota's achievements over the past year.
"He was a champion for his family, which is the most important thing. He was a champion for his country, winning the Nations League for a nation he loves [Portugal] and cares deeply about. And he was a champion for us by helping win the Premier League," Slot said.
Klopp hailed Jota's influence on the team's dynamics. Further, Klopp also highlighted Jota's impact on the team, saying, "Diogo was an incredibly important player for us. Having him in the side changed the dynamics."
Jota began his football career in his hometown of Porto in Portugal, where he played for the Pacos de Ferreira academy before joining Atletico Madrid in the Spanish League in 2016.
However, he never played for Atletico Madrid and later returned to Porto on loan. In 2018, the Portuguese player was signed by the Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers, also known as Wolves, and for the next two years, he was under the fellow Portuguese manager Nuno Espirito Santo.
Jota made his debut for the Portugal national team in November 2019 and featured in the Euro 2022 and 2024 for his national side. However, he was not part of the squad during the FIFA World Cup 2022, as he was out injured. Recently, in May this year, Jota was part of the Portugal side which won the UEFA Nations League, defeating Spain in penalties and winning their second Nations League title.