The Argentine was sacked, though reached the Europa League quarterfinals - which was won under Jose Luis Mendilibar.
He recalled to Marca: "President Castro and Del Nido had asked me to help the club. However, there was no reason to go, with a team in decline and without an adequate squad. When I arrived we were bottom of the table and I admit that I was wrong to let myself be convinced, but the directors had insisted a lot.
"The club was exploding. It had nothing to do with 2017 (when he coached Sevilla for the first time). The club was facing a political storm every day, and you could see it this season. The club was fighting against relegation and everything was uncomfortable.
"We had hoped to renew the team at Christmas and that wasn't the case. I wanted to leave earlier, but the contract didn't allow me to."