In hindsight, Ronald Koeman’s recruitment as Barcelona head coach was verging on a disaster. Just one player that was signed by the Dutchman remains in the first team squad, with that being centre back Eric Garcia.
Another defender brought in by Koeman during his spell by Sergino Dest. The then-teenager was highly rated by Ajax, but Barca were determined to sign him and paid €21m to secure his signature.
When playing under Koeman, Dest struggled to make an impact, and struggled to adapt to life at Barca. When the Dutchman was replaced as head coach by Xavi Hernandez, the American saw his playing time drastically decrease.
Xavi didn’t rate Dest, and he was shipped out to Serie A giants AC Milan for the 2022/23 season, with the Italians retaining the option to sign the right back permanently for €20m. However, Marca believe that they are very unlikely to do so, as Dest has struggled during his time at Milan.
Dest has started just twice for Milan this season, and has failed to impress when he has appeared. Barca are desperate to get rid of the young defender, but it may be more difficult than originally though.
