Barcelona starlet Sergino Dest snubs both Arsenal and Bayern Munich
Both Arsenal and Bayern Munich want to pry Sergino Dest away from Barcelona, but the USMNT starlet will be staying put in Spain.
Barcelona are working hard to lower their wage bill ahead of next season but Sergino Dest will not be leaving Spain to ease the club’s financial difficulties. Th USMNT starlet is seen as an integral part of Ronald Koeman’s plans and should be in line for significant playing time next season.
That’s bad news for both Arsenal and Bayern Munich. Both European powers have expressed interest in Dest in recent weeks before being rebuffed by Barcelona officials. According to ESPN, no formal offers were ever submitted for the fullback but that was largely a result of his determination to stay with the La Liga giants.
The key for the 20-year-old will be to fight off the intense competition at right back at Barcelona to earn regular first team football next season. Emerson Royal and Sergi Roberto will both battle with Dest for a place in Koeman’s starting XI during the preseason. Roberto, in particular, has the sturdy defensive characteristics required to help balance out his club’s star-studded attack.
Is this the right move for Dest?
The hope must be that Dest has received assurances from Koeman and his staff that he’s a big part of their plans this season. Otherwise, he should be looking for a loan move that will afford him that sort of opportunity.
That doesn’t mean a move to either Arsenal or Bayern would have been in Dest’s best interest. He likely would have faced similar struggles to secure first team football with the Bundesliga champions. His path towards playing time at Arsenal would have been slightly more straightforward, but going to a club without European football would have been a negative for Dest’s development.
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The key for Dest is to make sure he plays as many minutes as possible next season. If that can happen for him at Barcelona then he’s made a great career decision. If he finds himself on the fringes of the Barca squad next season then he may regret snubbing offers from other clubs this summer.