Should Sergino Dest have picked Barcelona over Bayern?

Barcelona and Bayern Munich were involved in a tug-of-war over Ajax full-back Sergino Dest.

Bayern thought that they had secured a £23m deal for the American, who had a breakthrough season in the Eredivisie last year. But Barcelona have been able to raise funds due to the sale of Nelson Semedo to Wolves, and are able to go after a replacement in that position. As such, it looks like Dest has made his mind up that Spain is the place for him.

But it might not have been the right one for his development. We outline some pros and cons below.

Sergino Dest: Player Stats, Career Stats and Position

Dest to Bayern: Pros and Cons

Pros: Learning the art of defending

Bayern are the tried-and-test best team in Europe at the moment with quality in every position, and it's the press and level of protection offered to the back line that helps them retain a solid defensive record. Dest has a clear weakness - he's not actually particularly good at defending, but doesn't get found out at a level in the Eredivisie.

He would have learned his craft more in a tactically-aware Bayern team, one full of confidence and with players fully aware of their roles to allow him to slot in seamlessly.

Pros: Benjamin Pavard

Pavard has been featuring at right-back regularly in the Bayern team but he is known to prefer playing centre-back and had Dest joined, it's likely Pavard would have moved inside and played next to Dest.

Therefore not only would he get protection, but he would have got guidance from a smart defender that has literally been in his shoes for most of his career. There's much to be said for this.

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Pros: Alphonso Davies

Dest just needed to look at the other side of the Allianz Arena pitch to see how a burgeoning young talent can be allowed to develop in this team. Alphonso Davies started out as a winger but has been coached into the position and now he has developed into one of the best in the world on the left.

It's something that that maybe should have fed into his decision-making process.

Cons: Not as sexy

One thing Barcelona still have going for them - they continue to hold an long-lasting appeal as a place where any player wants to play.

'You don't say no to Barcelona' would have been something that Dest seriously thought about, and the draw of the club was something he felt, clearly, he couldn't turn down.

Dest to Barcelona: Pros and Cons

Pros: Playing with Lionel Messi

It's not often the opportunity presents itself to play on the same flank as the greatest player who ever lived, but Dest has that option right now.

The right-back in the team plays such an important role in interacting with the Argentine and freeing up space for him to perform. And also, the privilege of having done so. It's a significant draw.

Cons: A broken club

There's no denying that, at the moment, Barcelona is a club simply not functioning at anywhere near the capacity that they should be and it will be difficult for any player coming in to have to deal with the dynamics at play, especially one so young.

Furthermore, the coach bringing him in, Ronald Koeman, may not be there for much longer than a year, given the presidential elections around the corner that will see Josep Maria Bartomeu replaced and the new man's choice likely installed.

That's a lot of upheaval for him to think about and have to deal with at a young age.

Conclusion

Barcelona remains a mythical destination for footballers and it's probably this reason alone that Dest based his decision on, Because most of the ways in which in his game can develop and career can prosper can be found at Bayern, a club with more stability and a greater sense of building an individual among the overarching collective.

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Sergiño Dest

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Barcelona

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Primera Division Bundesliga Eredivisie