AS.com

Mauricio Pochettino left Espanyol on Monday with a heavy heart, giving his thanks to all the club's employees and supporters in his final press conference, after being sacked in the morning.

"I want to thank the fans for their treatment of me," he said. "They have had to put if with a lot recently and they deserve better.

"I also want to thank those who have worked with me for the support they have shown me, many people who have worked behind the scenes, but have been just as important. I also want to thank the players who I've worked with in the last few years. This club will always be close to my heart.

"As I said when I left this club as a player, I will always be there for the club whenever I am needed and I will always support the club. I hope that one day I can return to the club because I feel at home here, this club is my family. For me I will be proud to go around the world saying 'We are the Pericos from Barcelona'. I feel a strong sense of attachment to this club. My children are Espanyol fans."

However, the Argentine assured the press he had no hard feelings about the board's decision to sack him.

"These decisions are always taken in the club's best interests," he said.

Pochettino also revealed that he would not be receiving a payout from the club, despite leaving with a year left on his contract.

"I am a man of my word and I renounced the final year of my contract. I won't earn any money from the last year."