Hard to blame guys for taking money and big transfers when its offered, but Dest is looking like a good example of too much too soon. He could have used more time in Holland or even a nice but huge jump to Barca/Milan, where he could continue to develop without every sneeze on the field being scrutinized.
I mean, I think it's tough to find fault with Dest's original move; he played in 41 games his first year at the club and played pretty well compared to some of his teammates - even after Xavi took over, he played - 31 games last season. Pretty easy to argue the quality wasn't the problem, he just ran into a coach with a different philosophy and priorities for players. The Milan move has been pretty predictable from how it came about - a rushed move late in the transfer window to a team that had well established starters and was looking for depth. It seemed like Dest was desperate to get to a club where he had a chance to see the field before the World Cup - and for the World Cup it paid off. Now he's got to try and make it so this is not a lost half-season. Heading into next season, though, he'll still be 22. with over 100 games at a high level. There will be demand for Sergino Dest.
And now Theo Hernandez is going to Man City, hope Sergiño embraces chances at left back. 1620461956137373697 is not a valid tweet id
I wonder if Milan now gets interested in Robinson given the prior connection, loss of Hernandez, and City money burning a hole in their pocket.
It's hard to say. Dest is getting a heck of a lot of experience and coaching in serious pressure-cooker/high expectation environments pretty quickly. Would a few more years fighting for time at Ajax, or a loan and regular starts at Vitesse or Twente or whatever have been better? We'll never know, but he's got enough pedigree now he'll have some interesting options - and some serious good playing experience.
Milan spent most of the season as #2 and now it's #5 and dropping. The fans are unhappy. Something is wrong.
I do not blame him for moving at all. I am sure he more than 10x his salary (and it was probably 3-4x what Ajax offered to him to extend his contract). Everyone who is in the Ajax academy dreams of playing for Barcelona after playing with Ajax. But in the long-term, I don't think it was the right move. While he did play a bunch those two Barcelona years, those were really bad Barca teams by recent standards (worst European results in 15-20 years). But you have to factor in how bad Barcelona was by their standards those years: 20/21 -- First time missing CL Quarters in 14 years. Worst La Liga finish in 13 years. 21/22 -- First time missing CL KO stages in 18 years. Least La Liga points in 14 years. An American playing at Barcelona is honestly quite absurd in many ways. I never thought I'd see it honestly. But they weren't really the Barcelona we've come to know the last few years. The quality was very low by their standards.
Looks like Dest is not included on CL list for Milan. Not that they are going far. Zlatan Ibrahimović remains out of AC Milan list for the Champions League 🔴⚫️ #ACMilanSergino Dest has been left out — and Malick Thiaw will be his replacement. pic.twitter.com/jhvw0ArIOa— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 2, 2023
Calling Dest "an American" while technically correct is not really an accurate reflection of his pedigree/training. Take the American-passport eligibility out of the equation and Dest is one of many Dutch/Ajax youth players (in the Ajax youth ranks since he was 12 or 13 I think) who took the pipeline to Barca. Maybe he took it too soon, maybe grinding it out at high-pressure clubs under various managers watching top players will refine his game in the long run. Barca of late has not been the storied Barca of their glory days, and they might have bought a bit of Dest hype, but baring injury I wager he's going to be a top-league player the rest of his career if he wants.
I agree he's not really American trained at all. But he just played in a World Cup wearing a USA jersey so I think it's OK to call him an 'American'. He'll definitely be a 'top 4 league' player. But at what level? I kinda think he's in no mans land. The conundrum with him is his style of play is suited for the top level teams much more than the mid or lower-tier sides. The issues are: is he good enough on the ball that you can ignore his flaws? And how would he hold up if he stuck in defending a bunch? And obviously the whole 'what position is he?' I really think he's best suited in a 3-5-2 LWB. But he's not good enough for a team to tailor their lineup to him. He's going to have to find the right match.
I've said for a long time that I could easily see him moving to wide-mid on a less star-studded club. I agree his best position is WFB/WB/WMina5 - but I think he's better/more at ease on the right. But either way, I think his dual-sided experience and tactical education (assuming he's been paying any attention at all) makes him pretty versatile. Not sure he's ideal in a "less skilled" team's 4-3-3, but he's young. Not that he's James/Chillwell level yet, but looking at a club like Chelsea right now, the way they need players that can play midfield and wing back as cover/in adjusted formations - that's a situation (again, not Chelsea level) where a guy with Dest' skill set can help. Be good for him to find a place he will be a regular part of the game plan to keep the Education of Sergino Dest continuing.
Kind of surprising to me given all of their injuries. But they are a total train wreck right now so I too wouldn't be surprised if they lost to Tottenham. Dest needs to find a Team where the expectations are lower. The pressure he has been under by the fans at his last two club locations has been immense. He might fair a lot better at a club that is building towards something rather than one that is expected to compete in the CL every year.
The problem is that Barcelona is counting on a decent transfer fee and Dest's salary doesn't fit a club with much lower expectations. Not sure how this works out.
The loan ends in June and this seems like a pretty clear message from Milan that they have no interest in extending/buying. This certainly hurts Barca's ability to make more money off a loan in the future as Dest's MV has dropped to $16 million and I assume it will drop significantly more by the time summer arrives. Be that as it may, I don't see Dest ever playing for Barca again so he should probably get used to the idea of being on loan until someone buys him or his contract expires in 2025.