Tag: PSV

Dest completes PSV move after all, leaving Barcelona on free transfer

Dest’s much-wanted move just required a little patience, as the USMNT defender joins PSV on a four-year deal

Sergiño Dest and PSV just learned about the values of patience.

The U.S. men’s national team fullback has joined the Dutch champions on a free transfer, with Barcelona letting the 23-year-old walk now rather than letting him leave as a free agent next year.

Barça will, however, receive an unspecified percentage of any transfer fee PSV might get for Dest — who signed a four-year deal on Saturday — down the road.

“To start with, PSV believes in me and I am greatly appreciated here,” said Dest in a club release announcing the deal. “I have come to know the club as incredibly warm, like I have never experienced anywhere else. These are important aspects for someone in my situation and give me confidence that I can rehabilitate well here.”

Dest tore his ACL in late April while on loan with PSV, with the injury initially appearing to complicate plans to sign him. The club was said to have a €10 million transfer clause in Dest’s loan contract, but — likely over the fact that he’d be out for the first half of this coming season — reportedly told Barcelona that the price was too high.

Nonetheless, PSV managed to complete a deal with Barça that will get the USMNT right back into a good club situation going forward.

“We had a good discussion about it internally, but Sergiño convinced us so much last season that we absolutely did not want to pass up the opportunity to take over from him permanently,” said PSV director of football Earnie Stewart. “He has so many qualities. The new situation does not change that.”

Dest played in 37 competitive matches for PSV, helping the club win its 25th Eredivisie title and advance to the Champions League knockout rounds for the first time in nine years.

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PSV signs USMNT midfielder Tillman on permanent deal

The Dutch champions have activated Tillman’s reported €10m purchase option

PSV has signed U.S. men’s national team midfielder Malik Tillman on a permanent deal from Bayern Munich.

Tillman has starred for PSV on loan in the 2023-24 season, and has now signed a contract with the Dutch power through the 2028 campaign.

“I am very happy that I will stay at PSV longer. The first season has been great and I hope that we will win many more trophies in the coming years,” Tillman told the club’s website.

The 21-year-old has tallied nine goals and 11 assists in the Eredivisie this term, helping his side lift the Dutch title.

PSV had a reported €10 million purchase option on the USMNT attacker, and the club previously indicated it would like to use it.

“Malik has more than proven his worth this season. He is a fantastic footballer with many qualities,” PSV director of football Earnie Stewart said. “In addition, he has also undergone tremendous development, as a footballer and as a person. I am very happy that he will play for PSV for a long time.”

In a Bayern statement, the club’s sporting director Christoph Freund said: “Malik Tillman came to Bayern as a youth player, developed into a professional here and has now become a key player in Eindhoven.

“He continues the long list of young players who have made the cut in professional football after coming through at Bayern. We wish him all the best for his future.”

Tillman, a former Germany youth international, has earned 10 caps for the USMNT so far, and is expected to be on the team’s roster for this summer’s Copa América.

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Dest future unclear as PSV reportedly declines €10m purchase clause

A convoluted situation has thrown Dest’s future at PSV into question

Sergiño Dest seemed set to convert his successful first season with PSV into a longer stay, but a new development has thrown the U.S. men’s national team right back’s future into uncertainty.

Eindhovens Dagblad reported on Thursday that PSV has decided to decline a €10 million purchase clause built into the loan deal with Barcelona that sent the 23-year-old to the Eredivisie for the 2023-24 season.

Dest was superb for PSV throughout a campaign that saw the club storm to both a 25th Dutch crown and the knockout stages of the Champions League.

However, on April 20 Dest suffered what turned out to be a torn ACL in training, and will be sidelined for several months at minimum.

Despite the injury, PSV manager Peter Bosz expressed strong interest in signing Dest to a permanent contract, praising the USMNT defender as a good fit for both his system and within the locker room.

It wasn’t the first time an authority at PSV said something along those lines. In December, sporting director Earnie Stewart said that the Dutch power would “probably do something” with the purchase clauses for both Dest and USMNT teammate Malik Tillman this summer.

Dest had also said he was enjoying his time with PSV, though his interest in staying further was offered in measured terms.

“I just want to go for my development and where I can play the most,” said Dest in April, just days before suffering his injury. “I have really been able to play my way up again [at PSV] and I want to continue to do so. Wherever my future lies, I just want to be able to play and develop myself.”

PSV may wait to sign Dest for free

Since then, two factors have complicated the matter. The first issue had crept into the discussion even before Dest’s injury: the combination of an eight-figure transfer fee and Dest’s desire to stay on wages in line with those in his contract with Barcelona is more than PSV was prepared to spend.

Second, the Eindhovens Dagblad report noted that Dest’s injury has removed the urgency to get a deal done quickly, as the fullback will almost certainly miss the first half of the 2024-25 season.

The theory goes that PSV could simply wait for Dest to enter the final six months of his deal with Barça on January 1, 2025. At that point, they could offer Dest a contract that would begin immediately upon the end of his time with Barcelona.

Doing so would allow PSV to bring Dest in without shelling out the €10 million fee, but that approach is not without risk. ESPN has reported that Ajax is also interested in Dest, while his performance with PSV has surely caught the eye of clubs across Europe.

Any club can offer Dest a pre-contract at the same time PSV reportedly intends to, opening the door to the USMNT man making his return elsewhere.

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USMNT and PSV right back Dest confirms torn ACL

The fullback is staring at a lengthy recovery that will likely see him out for the rest of 2024

The news was expected, but Sergiño Dest wanted to deliver it himself: The U.S. men’s national team right back has a torn ACL.

Dest made the announcement through his social media channels and his club side PSV on Wednesday, saying: “I want to give you an update on the injury myself. I tore my ACL. Hearing it [the news] was very painful. I will be out for a long period of time.

“Soon I will be operated on and then I will work on my recovery. It will be tough for me. I know that I will come out of this stronger, that’s for sure. For the rest, it is now to hope for the best and find the old version of myself again.”

The news was expected after PSV announced Dest would be out for an “extended period” after suffering a serious knee injury in training on April 20.

The 23-year-old will likely miss the remainder of 2024, including the USMNT’s participation in the Copa América this summer.

Dest’s club future is uncertain. The fullback had a standout campaign with PSV, which has a reported €10 million purchase option when his loan from Barcelona expires at the end of this season.

Even after the injury, PSV head coach Peter Bosz made clear that the club would still like to activate that option.

“He also just played well actually all season. Then you want to keep him. The same goes for the club, actually. I think they would also like to keep him,” Bosz said last week.

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PSV show support for Dest after USMNT defender’s knee injury

PSV showed more support for Dest before proceeding to demolish Heerenveen

Sergiño Dest has to be feeling the love at PSV these days.

PSV’s players came out for Thursday’s match with Heerenveen in shirts reading “Sterkte Sergiño” on the front, and with Dest’s number 8 on the back. “Sterkte” is a Dutch expression meaning “strength” or “courage.”

The U.S. men’s national team defender will be out for an extended period after suffering a knee injury in training last week.

While Dest’s absence has created a new worry for the USMNT, PSV has been very supportive. After the injury, manager Peter Bosz made clear that he’d like to see the club make Dest’s loan from Barcelona a permanent transfer. Dest’s loan contract with PSV is said to include a €10 million purchase option.

Meanwhile, PSV followed up its latest message of encouragement for Dest by completely obliterating Heerenveen.

Dest’s USMNT teammate Malik Tillman had two goals and an assist in the game’s first 11 minutes as PSV robbed the match of any mystery. Despite being the away team, the Eredivisie leaders would pour it on, winning 8-0.

The result primed Eindhoven for a big party, as PSV could finish the night by clinching the club’s 25th Eredivisie crown. The victory at the Abe Lenstra Stadium left the Boeren 12 points clear of second-placed Feyenoord, who play Go Ahead Eagles later on Thursday.

Should Feyenoord fail to win that match, PSV will lift the league trophy for the first time since 2017-18.

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USMNT has no proven replacement for Dest, says Lalas

At least one ex-USMNT defender has doubts about the options behind the injured right back

With Sergiño Dest expected to miss this summer’s Copa América with a knee injury, Alexi Lalas says the U.S. men’s national team is facing a “huge” problem.

“I think he is — when he is healthy — an in-pen starter for this national team,” said Lalas of the PSV defender, who suffered an unspecified, long-term knee injury in training this past Saturday. “[Dest] has been vital in terms of up and down that right-hand side, providing an incredible talent and ability with the ball, incredible speed.”

Speaking on his State of the Union podcast, Lalas went on to declare that no other USMNT right back has been pushing Dest for the starting job, creating a pickle for the team going into a massive summer tournament.

“The big problem for Gregg Berhalter and this team is nobody — like the No. 9 position — has yet stepped up and even challenged, even remotely challenged, [Dest],” said Lalas. “At times in the past when we have seen players play in that position, the [Joe] Scallys and stuff, they have not shown that they’re even close to stepping into his shoes right now.”

Scally is the obvious choice to replace Dest, but his form at Borussia Mönchengladbach has been iffy at best this season. Additionally, Scally plays the position much differently, taking fewer risks and offering less going forward than Dest, who functions as an X-factor for the USMNT.

Lalas noted that Berhalter has “possibilities of doing some different things,” which could mean a shift to a back three, or experimenting with players in new positions. Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, and Tim Weah all have right back or right wingback experience, for example, though all three are seen as locked-in starters elsewhere for the USMNT.

Dest at least got some good news on the club front on Wednesday, with PSV boss Peter Bosz stating that he’d like the club to sign the USMNT defender to a permanent deal from Barcelona.

The 23-year-old joined the Eredivisie giants on loan this season, and his frosty relationship with Barça manager Xavi — who will reportedly stick around for the 2024-25 campaign — has boosted the chances of a full transfer this summer.

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PSV boss Bosz wants to sign Dest permanently despite serious injury

The USMNT right back is set to be sidelined until 2025

PSV head coach Peter Bosz said that his side still wants to sign Sergiño Dest on a permanent basis even after a serious knee injury.

Dest suffered the injury in training on Saturday and though the extent hasn’t officially been revealed, multiple reports have indicated that the right back tore his ACL and will be sidelined for the remainder of 2024.

The 23-year-old has had a standout campaign with the Dutch side, which has a reported €10 million purchase option when his loan from Barcelona expires at the end of this season.

Though the fullback will miss a significant part of the 2024-25 campaign, Bosz said at a press conference on Wednesday that he still hopes to have Dest at his disposal.

“I am talking for myself as a coach and as a staff,” Bosz said. “I would very much like to have him there. It clicked in the way we played. It clicked as a person. It clicked with the player group.

“He also just played well actually all season. Then you want to keep him. The same goes for the club, actually. I think they would also like to keep him there.”

PSV announces Dest out for ‘extended period’ with knee injury

The USMNT defender looks set for a long spell on the sideline

PSV has announced that defender Sergiño Dest will be out for an “extended period” with what appears to be a serious knee injury.

The U.S. national team defender suffered the injury in training on Saturday, and the early signs are clearly not good.

“Sergiño Dest suffered what appears to be a serious knee injury during Saturday’s training session,” a club statement said.

“How long the winger will be sidelined is still being investigated. That it will be an extended period is almost certain.”

Though the length of Dest’s absence is not yet known, the language in PSV’s statement immediately makes him a major doubt for the Copa América.

The USMNT kicks off the tournament in just two months when it faces Bolivia on June 23. Dest was almost certain to start at right back for the USMNT at the intercontinental tournament.

More to follow…

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Pepi’s agent fires warning on lack of PSV minutes: ‘It can’t continue like this’

The USMNT forward has started just two games this season

Ricardo Pepi’s agent has sounded a warning over his client’s ongoing lack of minutes at PSV, saying “it can’t continue like this.”

Pepi has been productive in his first season at PSV, but has been forced to mostly watch from the bench as first-choice striker Luuk de Jong has put together a sensational campaign.

The U.S. men’s national team striker has appeared in 35 total games for PSV, but has only started twice. Still, Pepi has managed to score nine times, averaging a goal every 66 minutes he’s been on the pitch.

In an interview with Voetbal International, Pepi stressed the importance of staying patient while also maintaining that he is far from satisfied with the amount of time he’s been playing.

“I also talked to the coach about how I can get more playing time. He says that I have to stay patient and keep doing what I am doing, because there will be times when I can help the team and then I have to be ready,” Pepi said.

“It is of course difficult to be patient for so long. I feel good during training and when I come on the field, I regularly score. Then you want to explode as a striker. So it is difficult, but at the same time I knew that I wanted to go to PSV and that there would be several good attackers [there].”

The 21-year-old added: “I am not satisfied with my playing time, but I am satisfied with the goals I have scored.”

Pepi’s agent Jaime Garcia stressed that his client is happy at PSV, but also admitted that there was a sense of urgency to increase his minutes as he eyes a major role at the Copa América this summer and the World Cup in 2026.

“First of all, there is complete understanding, because Luuk de Jong is a phenomenon and we must take our hats off to his achievements,” Garcia said. “But at the same time, this season is not good enough for Ricardo. Ten percent of all playing time is of course far too little. He understands, is patient and congratulates Luuk, but for himself it is not enough. However, I have never met a player who was happy when he didn’t play.”

Garcia added: “If you play so little, you can also lose your place in the national team. With the Copa América this year and the World Cup in two years’ time in your own country, there are two great tournaments coming up. Ricardo wants and needs to be there. That’s why it can’t continue like this.

“He will have to take a step in his career. That’s just normal. Every player wants to continue to grow and reach his full potential. Ricardo obviously prefers to do that at PSV. Ricardo is far from home and he wants to have a home in Europe.”

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Lozano slams former Mexico coach Martino: ‘He treated us like little children’

Of playing under Martino, the Mexico star said: “It was like going to the military”

Mexico star Hirving “Chucky” Lozano has slammed former national team coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino, saying that the Argentine treated him and his teammates like children during his tenure.

Martino was in charge of Mexico from 2019 to 2022, when he stepped down immediately after El Tri failed to advance from the World Cup group stage.

The current Inter Miami head coach never seemed to fully embrace his role with Mexico, oftentimes sparring with media over deficiencies within the team and in the Mexican soccer system as a whole.

According to Lozano, the coach didn’t make a great impression with his players either, charging that he instilled a disciplinary style that caused friction between coaches and the team.

“The truth is that for me there were many stumbles in how to handle the national team in every sense,” the PSV attacker told TUDN.

“Tata, for me, the truth is there was never a good connection between the coaching staff and the players, because the truth is that they treated us like little children. It was like going to the military.

“Managing the group like that I think was a very big mistake. For me, the truth is that there were some decisions on their part that were not correct.”

Lozano said that the 2022 World Cup was “the straw that broke the camel’s back” when it came to Martino, adding that when he returned to Napoli, his club at the time, he went through a difficult period of reflection.

“The truth is that the World Cup was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” the 28-year-old said. “Personally, I left very satisfied because I gave my maximum as always, as you can see in the statistics.

“The truth is that I was disappointed, because Mexico did not deserve that. I went into the World Cup very excited and I lived it to the fullest, but it was a very big disappointment.

“I went through a very complicated month when I returned from the World Cup to Napoli, because I didn’t feel like doing anything. It was a very complicated period. I think it was a time to meditate and see what I had done, and the truth is that that World Cup was difficult.”

Now under coach Jaime Lozano, Mexico will face Panama on Thursday in the Concacaf Nations League semifinal. The winner will take on the winner between the U.S. and Jamaica in the final on Sunday.

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