Sergino Dest is happy at Dutch side PSV but the American fullback opened up about the frustrating ending with La Liga giants Barcelona.
Dest, who made the permanent move to PSV last summer, is currently sidelined as he recovers from a torn ACL. The 23-year-old spent last season on loan at PSV, helping Peter Bosz’s men capture the Eredivisie title while also advance to the UEFA Champions League knockout stages.
Prior to his move to the Netherlands, Dest also was loaned out to Serie A side AC Milan despite being a regular under former Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman during the 2020-21 campaign. Xavi Hernandez utilized Dest on 31 occasions during the 2021-22 season before eventually moving on from the versatile full back for other options.
Dest logged 72 appearances for Barcelona during his time in Spain, scoring three goals and winning the Copa Del Rey, however, voiced his frustration with Xavi and how things ended with the Catalan club.
“I wouldn’t say regrets, because how it ended didn’t depend on me, but I don’t feel I had the necessary chances with Xavi,” Dest told Diario Sport in an interview. “I felt like I had to play with limits; that I could not be myself. I want to join the attack, which is my biggest strength, but he asked me not to go forward.
“I don’t think he was honest with me, either,” he added. “We had several conversations in which he told me one thing but after I had doubts whether he really told me the truth. In the summer [of 2023], before going on holiday, he told me: ‘I am counting on you, don’t read the press.’ And as soon as I returned, he told me: ‘You have to go.'”
Dest has since become an important player for PSV when healthy, scoring two goals and adding seven assists in 37 combined appearances. He’s also teamed up with fellow USMNT players Malik Tillman, Ricardo Pepi, and Richie Ledezma in Eindhoven, enjoying a luxury that not many players get in their careers.
Although Dest’s contract runs through the 2027-28 Eredivisie season, he’s already got high aspirations of returning to La Liga one day to prove himself again.
“I am really happy and grateful to be at PSV, but I am ambitious and of course I would like to play in one of the big five leagues in Europe again,” Dest said. “I think I am good enough to. With hard work and consistency I think I can achieve it, no doubt. I don’t know what will happen, but I would like to return to LaLiga in the future.”
Dest is expected back in action in January 2025 after a lengthy absence.
Looking ahead for the US, it will be interesting how Poch sets up the defense with both his right and left backs constantly itching to get forward.
why are we still talking about 3 moves ago? loan to ACM. loan to PSV. bought by PSV. basically the usage beefs would be 21-22, like pandemic era, pre-world cup, leading up to summer 22 he’s jerked around and ends up ACM. nominally goes back to barca once but is loaned to PSV then bought.
we’re talking about 2-3 years ago and 2 teams later.
move on.
or is he as unable to let go on this as he was the ref feud that got him the TnT red card? i think i have even heard this spiel before. he got it out. he got moved. he is on his second team since then. and he’s still “badgering the ref.”
geez.
and re the “refreshing honesty” type comments, it was informative the first time, if risky to his career. this is a dog with a bone.
There’s also this. If you’re not good enough to play forward, and you play defense, but still want to “go forward”, you might have issues with the coach. Somehow this all got flipped around with the whole wingback evolution thing, and everyone on this forum surely understands it better than I do.
But bro is a defender. And he’s playing for Barcafuckinlona. He has to either stay in his lane and do what the coach says, or get better.
meh. what i see it as, is dude is playing for devil may care barca, who goes deep into UCL most years before naively getting shelled out of the tournament by some lopsided score, eg, 4-1 PSG, 3-0 bayern. he assumes based on that, why do they care if i play defense now.
personally i think it might be a critique of exactly how abject his defense is. that even barca is like, we’re demoting you, we’ll let you on cup games, but don’t you mess that up by even trying to go forward. and next season he’s gone.
side point, he managed to finagle a full transfer and not just a loan to PSV, he’s rehabbing and not played a game yet, shut up and play. if you’re playing very well and not getting reds, maybe be more chatty. but right now it’s like PSV are top of their league and if you don’t show up on your game you’re about to sit there, too. less talky talky, more kicky kicky.
Dave P.
58 years ago Tommy Gemmel of Celtic, a right footed left back, scored on Inter Milan with a rocket from the edge of the box. That won Celtic the European Cup the predecessor of the Champions League. He did it again in the 1970 European Cup Final, scoring against Feyenoord but in a losing cause that time.
He might have been rare but he wasn’t unique. Inter Milan had their own all time great attacking fullback in Giacinto Fachetti.
Attacking fullbacks have been around for at least that long if not longer. As the middle of the field got more congested, initiating the offense from the fullback position increased because guys like Marcelo, Reece James, and Trent Alexander -Arnold had the space to create.
If Sergino can get near the level of those guys he can make a living wage.
On the one hand, this is the first US player or coach who has given reporters anything but sports platitudes for years, so as a fan I’m happy to have something spicy to read. On the other hand, it’s a good example of why they’re coached to say nothing in interviews. Trash talking Xavi or any former coach cannot not good for a soccer career. It’s entertaining though.
Sergino burned his Barca bridges along time ago if there were any left.
This is very far from the most combustible interview of a Dutch player I’ve read. And frankly, Dest is a big fish on this side of the pond but a pretty small one over there.
I doubt anyone read this interview.
He needs to continue to do well for PSV, then get himself to a bigger club at a higher level. Having a solid 2026 WC would not hurt him one bit. Pochettino may be able to get him connected as well
Any manager that wants Dest to stay back and play defense is either really bad at reading their players skillsets or actively self sabotaging themselves or the player. I can’t think of any possibilities. I have a hard time believing Xavi was doing any of those things. Perhaps there was a communication breakdown due to different languages being the mother tongues and having to communicate in a third. I’m going with there were instructions given to Dest regarding his decisions about positioning that were interpreted as “stay back”. Xavi wan’t great but he definitely was competent. To tell any player like Dest to stay back would be utter incompetence. And also, bro, people change their minds. After a break and film review it’s entirely possible Xavi changed his tactics or ideas about Dest. Welcome to the world. May – you are in the plans, August and film and squad reviews – not so much. The fact remains when watching those Barca teams Dest stood out as the weakest player on the squad. Is he better than PSV? I think so. He should be at top 5 team that challenges for the final CL spot or is a regular in Europa. Eredivisie is too easy for him. He needs a move to league that will challenge him and perhaps even improve the defensive game. If anything Eredivisie will erode what defensive skills he has. Maybe if Leverkusen lose Grimaldo or Frimpong he could be a good fit there or a Villareal. Something like that.
Not sure this interview is serving him the way he thinks it is… Also kind of interested to figure out why would some journalist from Spain be calling up for Barcelona players? Just odd altogether to me.
Have you ever heard the term “Dutch direct”? The Dutch are not known for sugar coating anything, you ask they’ll tell you what they think. Why go interview Dest? Serge is fun!
LOL. Yeah, I once watched a Dutch economist crash Davos and tell the world’s assemblage of most powerful billionaires to their faces at their annual Masters of the Universe shindig that the biggest problem with the world was that they didn’t pay enough taxes. Same guy then went on Tucker Carlson and pantsed him on his own show, and the Dutch fella did it in such a matter-of-fact tone he might have been discussing the weather. (Tucker did not, uhm, react well. Look it up; it’s comedy gold….well, unless you’re a Tucker fanboy. Anyhoo…)
Of course, there’s “direct”, and then there’s a 2×4 to the head, and a fair number of the Dutch seem to get all the way to B. The Germans are positively diplomatic in comparison.
hmmmm interesting take
i grew up in a direct environment where the coach told us why he was doing what he was, where he yelled at us, where we were encouraged to get on each other and keep the team in line. so i am used to direct, say what you think.
it has served me well in business. you want someone in the room who calls bull where bull is accurate. that saves you from dumb decisions.
but in college soccer the coach was domineering and while he had to start me it went over like a lead balloon. some leaders want basically one-way traffic.
It has been said that if you put 2 Dutch men together in a room alone, that there will be 3 different arguments about any subject. I had a Dutch neighbor who had grown up in Indonesia when it was a Dutch colony and then came back to Holland when he was about 12. He really disliked the Dutch, his own people, because he was bullied just for being a little different. Yes, they are not known for being subtle or diplomatic. My neighbor, bless his soul, was a soft spoken gentleman who died too young because of cancer.
Seth Myers, noted comedian, was doing stand up in Amsterdam. He talks about going out for drinks with some Dutch fans. One of them came up to him and said you’re such a great guy but you know you are not very funny.
All pretty straight forward and not being mean or anything. That’s the story as I remember it. However, it lines up with the Dutch people I know. Very nice but absolutely, brutally honest.
I thought this article was pretty much in line with other interviews with him that I have read. If he comes back strong and hits anywhere near his ceiling he’ll be okay.
It was the basis for one of the CBs on Ted Lasso, Jan Maas. Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt had spent time doing sketch comedy in Amsterdam earlier in their career.