BARCELONA
Dest says Barcelona career over as long as Xavi is LaLiga giants’ boss
Sergiño Dest, whose career has been revitalised by a loan spell at PSV, says a change of coach is needed at Barça if he’s to play for his parent club again.
On-loan PSV Eindhoven defender Sergiño Dest says he’s unlikely to have a future at parent club Barcelona as long as Xavi Hernández remains head coach at the LaLiga giants.
“Xavi is still there now”
Discussing the potential for a Barça return in an interview with the Dutch media outlet Voetbol International this week, Dest said: “Only if the situation changes there. Xavi is still there now. So right now no, that’s going to be too difficult.”
Signed by Barça in 2020, the USMNT international was frozen out in Catalonia after Xavi’s appointment as boss in November 2021.
Dest career back on track at PSV
Dest left the Blaugrana for an unsuccessful loan spell at Serie A club AC Milan in summer 2022, but has enjoyed better fortunes since joining PSV on a temporary deal in August.
The 23-year-old has been a regular in Eindhoven, making 20 appearances for a side that sits 12 points clear at the summit of the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch men’s league soccer.
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Will Dest stay on at PSV?
Asked by Voetbol International about the possibility of extending his stay at PSV beyond the end of the season, Dest said he’ll wait until the summer to think about his future.
“Every player has his goals and every player wants to play at the top - that also applies to me,” the Ajax youth product explained. “In the long run, I would like to go back to that level where I came from.
“But a season like this, I just have to enjoy that, too. So my full focus is on PSV right now. And at the end of the season we will look further. It could go either way. Maybe I’ll stay, maybe I’ll go.”
PSV’s director of football, Ernie Stewart, told an interview in the Dutch media last month that the club “will probably” try to turn Dest’s loan stint into a permanent transfer.
Pressure building on Xavi at Barcelona
With Barça down in fourth in LaLiga, and reeling from a 4-1 Spanish Super Cup thrashing by arch rivals Real Madrid, it’s perfectly possible that Xavi won’t be Blaugrana boss next term.
Indeed, AS journalist Javier Miguel has reported that poor results in the weeks to come could even see the coach sacked before the campaign is over.
Rafa Márquez, who is currently in charge of Barça’s ‘B’ team, is seen as the favourite to replace Xavi if he departs.
Get more news on the USMNT’s stars in our dedicated Soccer section.